Unlike conventional battery recycling methods that involve the complete physical destruction of batteries, followed by complex, energy-intensive recovery processes to extract critical battery-making materials, the scientists' method recycles lithium-ion battery electrodes directly. Rather than breaking down structurally intact electrodes to extract materials that will make other electrodes, their approach regenerates the existing electrodes using an electrochemical solution.

The researchers say this method restored batteries to 95% of their original capacity, and even helped recycled batteries last longer. According to them, the method could also slash recycling costs by 56% while being more environmentally friendly.

As lithium-ion batteries age, a layer called the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) gradually grows on the electrodes. A thin SEI layer is actually necessary for battery operation. However, over hundreds or thousands of charge cycles, it becomes thicker and thicker, increasing resistance and reducing battery capacity. This phenomenon is one of the foremost drivers of battery wearout, leading to EV batteries and stationary electricity storage systems being retired with much of their structure still intact. This structure includes the now-coated electrodes, which contain critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, copper, and aluminum.