Thermal engineering is a subset of the profession involving generation, conversion, use and transfer of heat energy. Scientists use the theory to understand how heat transfers, and how they can harness it productively. Researchers have now found a way of thermally engineering battery recycling, by triggering a controlled thermal runaway.
Recycling Used Batteries With Own Thermal Energy
Scientists as Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Thermal Management, Engineering, and Materials in China, announced their discovery on September 22, 2025. In a nutshell, they generated their thermal energy from the used lithium-ion battery they recycled.
Thermal runaway is a self-accelerating process, in which temperature rises uncontrollably. This generates further heat leading to even higher temperatures causing the spate of lithium-ion battery fires.
The Guangdong scientists set off a controlled thermal runaway event in a battery, and used the internal heat to break down the components. This method eliminated the need to import external energy, and then use costly chemicals to complete the process.
The Nuts and Bolts Behind This Engineering Achievement
The researchers conducted their experiments on a 24-amp-hour lithium-ion battery, with a nickel manganese cobalt oxide cathode. Charging the cell to 70% under unspecified conditions, generated an internal temperature of 1100°C / 2000°F.
This heat spread throughout the battery’s core. It then converted the cathode materials into simpler metallic or oxide forms, that were more readily dissolved. The only electricity they needed was to charge the cell.
The researchers first washed the resultant cathode powder to remove and recover 60% of the soluble lithium salts. Then they dissolved the remaining lithium – plus the transition nickel, cobalt, and manganese metals – in dilute hydrochloric acid.
This combined process recovered over 93% of the lithium, and 95% of the transition metals. As an added bonus, they found the graphite anode suitable for reuse in new batteries, thanks to thermally engineering battery recycling.
More Information
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Preview Image: Triggers Predicting Thermal Runaway
