‘Tribo’ means rubbing in the Greek language, and so ‘triboelectricity’ refers to static electricity achieved by rubbing certain items together. Scientists at Guilin University of Technology in China, have learned that tribocatalysis recycles battery materials without high temperatures or toxic chemicals. We’ll let them explain how this works in their own words.
Why Recycle Battery Materials With Tribocatalysis?
Lithium-ion battery roll-out has been swift, and generated a large volume of used batteries. We have not developed an adequate industry to recycle them in parallel. If we dispose of these batteries improperly as waste, then the cobalt and lithium they contain could harm our environment by leaking through the decaying cases.
How Tribocatalysis Extracts Lithium and Cobalt
The researchers turned to tribocatalysis as a potential way to extract critical materials from spent lithium-ion batteries. This technique creates a chemical reaction by automatically rubbing two materials together, causing friction.
This friction releases highly unstable reactive species molecules, that are ready and able to react with other molecules. The Guilin team used this method to extract lithium and cobalt from spent lithium-ion batteries, without requiring toxic chemicals and high temperatures.
In this instance, the scientists used a weak acid solution to leach lithium ions from used lithium-ion cathodes, where they were stored during their final use. Computer models and live laboratory experiments proved how effective this method was.
The Road Forward For This Battery Recycling Method
From what we have heard, tribocatalysis recycles battery materials faster, and cheaper than using extreme heat and toxic chemicals. Therefore, this new recycling method appears to align better with the green economy dream.
Prof Changzheng Hu of Guilin University of Technology, who inspired the research, believes this discovery could transform the recycling industry. Indeed, from where we sit, it could chart the way forward for more sustainable battery energy storage.
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