美国莱斯大学研究人员开发出一种新型反应器，可将废旧电池中的锂高效转化为高纯度氢氧化锂，为锂资源回收开辟了一条更清洁、更经济的路径。相关 成果发表于新一期《焦耳》杂志。 新研发的电化学反应器通过再充电方式诱导废弃阴极中的锂离子进入水中，与氢氧化物结合，直接生成高纯度氢氧化锂，大幅简化了回收流程。 这一反应器结构紧凑，在实验中，研究人员将装置缩小至20平方厘米，并连续运行1000小时，处理了57克工业黑色废料。测试结果显示，回收的氢氧化锂 纯度超过99%，可直接用于新电池生产，平均回收率接近90%。 在能耗方面，该技术也表现优异：一种模式下，每千克废料仅消耗103千焦能量，远低于传统酸浸工艺；另一种模式也仅消耗536千焦。此外，这一方法适 用于多种电池类型，包括磷酸铁锂、锂锰氧化物和镍锰钴材料。更值得一提的是，它甚至能直接处理附着在铝箔上的完整磷酸铁锂电极，且无需刮除或预 处理。 团队强调，直接产出高纯度氢氧化锂不仅减少了加工步骤和废弃物，也增强了供应链韧性。 随着电动汽车在全球快速普及，报废电池数量激增，正成为一大环境挑战。传统回收方法不仅能耗高、流程复杂，且通常只能产出碳酸锂，需进一步加工 才能转化为电池制造 ...

Core Insights - Researchers at Rice University have developed a new type of reactor that efficiently converts lithium from waste batteries into high-purity lithium hydroxide, paving a cleaner and more economical path for lithium resource recovery [1][2] Group 1: Technology and Process - The new electrochemical reactor simplifies the recycling process by directly generating high-purity lithium hydroxide from lithium ions in discarded cathodes, significantly reducing the number of processing steps [1] - The reactor has a compact design, measuring only 20 square centimeters, and has successfully operated for 1,000 hours while processing 57 grams of industrial black waste [1] - The purity of the recovered lithium hydroxide exceeds 99%, with an average recovery rate close to 90% [1] Group 2: Energy Efficiency - The technology demonstrates excellent energy efficiency, consuming only 103 kilojoules of energy per kilogram of waste in one mode, which is significantly lower than traditional acid leaching processes [1] - In another mode, the energy consumption is just 536 kilojoules per kilogram [1] Group 3: Versatility and Supply Chain Resilience - This method is applicable to various battery types, including lithium iron phosphate, lithium manganese oxide, and nickel manganese cobalt materials [1] - The reactor can even process complete lithium iron phosphate electrodes attached to aluminum foil without the need for scraping or pre-treatment, enhancing supply chain resilience [2]