Bhagyashree Uppin, J. Manjanna
Electronic waste (E-waste) production rate is increasing every day due to high demand for electronic devices. The generated E-waste gets accumulated in environment. E-waste is composed of valuable metals like gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium, rare earths etc. as well as hazardous materials. Therefore, improper handling of E-waste can cause resource wastage and also affect living organisms. Hence, there is urgent need for sustainable recycling technologies for both environmental protection and circular economy. Spent lithium-ion battery (LIB) is one of the most important e-waste to be recycled. Recycling of spent LIB has gathered more attention because of its hazardous nature and valuable metal richness. We have reviewed here the different LIB recycling technologies practiced and adopted globally. Hydrometallurgical recovery of Li and Co using mineral acid or strong acids adversely effects the environment. Therefore, the mild organic acids such as citric acid, ascorbic acid maleic acid, iminodiacetic acid (IDA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), tartaric acid, acetic acid were used instead of mineral acids. These acids are completely bio degradable and not emit any toxic gas. Organic acids are able to recover metals by reduction and complex formation. The dissolution of Li and Co was achieved 100% by using mild organic acids. Overview on eco-friendly recycling and recovery of Li and Co using organic acid is discussed here.