essay
10th Anniversary Article
An Urgent Call to Spent LIB Recycling: Whys and
Wherefores for Graphite Recovery
Subramanian Natarajan and Vanchiappan Aravindan*
Spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are a key source for securing tons of raw
materials that are valuable materials for LIB applications. However, the
massive emerging volume of spent LIBs urgently needs a new management
strategy to recycle/reuse all components of spent LIBs, particularly the
graphite before it becomes a “future critical material” like Li and Co. Many
elements in LIB electrodes can now be recycled, however graphite has till
now, been largely overlooked. Some research groups have begun examining
possible strategies for the reuse of graphite for energy storage applications.
This work has delivered some promising results that may help to achieve this
goal on an industrial scale
1. Introduction
Current usage of commercial appliances reliance on the domi-
nant lithium-ion batteries (LIB), including automotive indus-
tries, rushes the demand of lesser-known key component
graphite where it is required ≈10–20 times higher than best-
known crucial lithium. Predominantly, the need of 1 kg graphite
per kWh of battery[1] capacity heightens the graphite market
to $29.05 billion by 2022.[2] Graphite is still unbeaten in most
of the commercial LIBs as an anode material due to its long-
term cycling stability and high electrical conductivity (bandgap
of ≈0.4 eV) as a result of the delocalized π-bonds along with
high thermal and mechanical stability in the honeycomb struc-
ture. Also, the decent theoretical capacity (≈372 mAh g–1) and
lower working potential (<0.1 V vs Li) are worth mentioning
about the first carbonaceous material involved in the revers-
ible Li-intercalation.[3–5] Natural graphite flakes and highly
oriented pyrolytic graphite have been utilized so far to per-
form the Li-intercalation experiments using electrochemical,
vapor phase, and liquid intercalation methods that produce the
graphite intercalation compounds like LixC6 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1). Inter-
estingly, graphite is a perfect and ideal host structure that offers
for all types of guest species (molecular, atomic, and ionic) to
yield graphite intercalation compounds by consenting them to
Dr. S. Natarajan,[+] Dr. V. Aravindan
Department of Chemistry
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)
Tirupati 517507, India
E-mail: aravindan@iisertirupati.ac.in, aravind_van@yahoo.com
The ORCID identification number(s) for the author(s) of this article
can be found under https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202002238.
[+]Present address: Nanomaterials and Systems Laboratory, Department
of Mechatronics Engineering, Jeju National University, South Korea
DOI: 10.1002/aenm.202002238
Adv. Energy Mater. 2020, 2002238 2002238 (1 of 8)
www.advenergymat.de
diffuse between their layers, though
only at prismatic surfaces as well as it
is also possible via defect sites for the
basal planes. The term “intercalation in
graphite” refers to the incorporation of
atomic or molecular layers of a guest spe-
cies between the ordered graphite layers,
and this process would be reversible and
“topotactic” that endorses the different
interlayer distance without changing the
carbon atomic arrangement within the
layer. The mechanism involved in the
intercalation process is generally identi-
fied as “staging” where the lithium pre-
fers to reside in the distant graphene
layers first rather than picking the neighbor graphene layers
as shown in Figure 1; however, Li-ions pick the gap of neigh-
boring graphene layers to form a Li–C6–Li–C6 chain along the
c-direction if the graphite is intercalated fully with a spacing of
0.430 nm.[3,4,6–8] As well, it is also proven that both hexagonal
and rhombohedral graphitic phases could able to intercalate the
lithium reversibly almost in the same storage capacities. Com-
mercial graphite possesses a larger number of rhombohedral
units, and that kind of graphene planes as a host will be more
favorable to intercalate lithium. Many efforts have been made to
clarify the intercalation mechanism of lithium into the graphite
from various perspectives. The occurrence of solid electrolyte
interphase (SEI) formation is necessary for safe operation
(since LiC6 is known to be the strong reducing agent) of the
cell regardless of any electrode/electrolyte contact and plays a
decisive role in the capacity of the material.[9] It is well-known
that the excess charge consumption for the graphite-based elec-
trodes during the first cycle surpasses the theoretical capacity
of 372 mAh g–1 as a result of this passive layer formation, i.e.,
SEI, also attributed to the corrosion-like reactions of LixC6.
The intercalated compounds are unstable similar to metallic
lithium in the electrolytes which surface is protected by this for-
mation of SEI layer that pays the excess charge consumption
in the first cycle of the intercalation/deintercalation process.
Generally, non-graphitic carbons which have not c-direction in
the crystallographic order can be categorized as high (x > 1 in
LixC6) and low (x = 0.5–0.8 in LixC6) specific charge carbons
based on their reversible lithium storage properties. From the
category of low-specific charge carbons, coke and turbostratic
kind of carbons gain much attention for the Li-intercalation
owing to their structural properties, which could overwhelm
the development of Lix(solv)yC6. Also, the coke-containing elec-
trode unveiled the reversible Li-intercalation at ≈1.2 V versus Li
during the first cycle, distinguishes from the insertion potential
of graphite because of the disordered structure. High specific
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Figure 1. a) Representation of the LixC6 structure illustrates the lithium accommodation sequences perpendicular to the basal plane. b) The natural
graphite resources around the world. Others include countries like the USA, Canada, Namibia, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.[14]
charge carbons of both hard and soft carbon materials could
exhibit better performance than the graphite; however, charge
density also needs to be considered when the condition arises
to store the lithium in the carbon bulk.[10,11] Hard carbons reveal
better higher capacity as compared to the soft carbons, also not
experiences the exfoliation problems like graphite. This kind
of hard carbon with d002 spacing of >0.372 nm established 1%
volume change upon lithiation (10% for graphite) and acquired
outstanding reversibility. The number of studies explained the
reasons for “high specific charge” might be due to the accom-
modation of additional lithium on the nanoscopic cavities of
graphite. Also, Dahn et al.[12] explained the lithium could have
been adsorbed on both sides of the single graphene layer sheets
in terms of “falling cards,” and stated the lithium storage in the
micropores. However, high specific charge carbons face severe
downsides such as high irreversible specific capacities, and
lithium deposition pushes still the researchers toward finding
the graphite-like carbon structures. Similarly, doping of heter-
oatoms on carbons as an insertion host for lithium results in
high specific charges than graphite, nevertheless the interaction
between neighbor carbon and heteroatoms is still not clear apart
from the discussion of the steric and electronic effects. The
hydrogen-containing graphite also can display larger capacity;
nonetheless, the overpotential during the de-lithiation hindered
the practical application. Besides carbonaceous anodes, interca-
lation type, zero-strain spinel Li4Ti5O12 is proposed and subse-
quently commercialized, but the lower capacity (≈175 mAh g–1)
and higher working potential (≈1.55 V vs Li) has to be compro-
mised.[13] However, it eventually dilutes the net energy density
of the LIB. On the other hand, alloy type Si-nanostructures are
worth investigating as a possible alternative. Still, issues like
huge volume variation (>300%), unstable SEI formation, and
poor cycling stability have to be addressed before the commer-
cialization.[13] Therefore, finding a suitable material to substitute
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the Nobel prize winner anode is impossible at present in the
market, however the applications of graphite, especially the
EV market look to suffer in the future as a consequence of the
increasing demand for this critical material graphite (Figure S1
and Table S1, Supporting Information).
2. Present Status of LIB Recycling in Industries
The evolution of LIBs on the various applications soon and
the demand for other raw materials are already well-predicted;
however, graphite has not yet been noticed and underrated
where countries are jump-started to sell electric vehicles (EV).
The main battery companies, like LG Chem, AESC, Samsung,
Toshiba, and Panasonic, employed graphite in EV battery as
anode material with various types of cathodes.[15] The content
of graphite in an electric hybrid car would be about 10 kg, and
a full-EV requires about 50 kg,[16] while prediction reports the
number of 125 million EV would be in the world by 2030.[17]
In brief, the cost of the anode graphite lies in between $8 and
13 per kg in the market, highlights the material cost of around
10–15% in the typical commercial LIBs. Also, it should be noted
that ≈12–21 wt% content of graphite would be available in the
spent LIBs where 5–7% of lithium only present. At the same
time, it should be noted that all kinds of graphite cannot be
employed, and only the large flake graphite gains significant
interest to be LIB anode in the market. Based on the forecast,
the demand growth of graphite is estimated at 250 000 tons per
year, in which about 72% will be employed in LIBs between
2016 and 2025.[18] Graphite mines only can produce 90–98%
purity flake graphite, and though the purification methods are
further requisite to upgrade 99.5% purity with spherical shape
to achieve a battery grade.[19] At the beginning of 2018, a new
graphite mining project with a high-grade graphite deposit
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began at Mozambique, which eventually the largest natural

graphite mine globally and anticipated the operation of the
next 50 years.[14] However, the methods involved in the graphite
purification, such as chemical and thermal processes, are not
in an environmentally acceptable manner utilizing strong acids
and high temperatures under inert atmospheric conditions.
Thus, the purified graphite prices also will vary depending on
the flake size and purity.[19] Therefore, considering the look-
outs of more expensive techniques to attain the battery-grade
graphite from mines and the increasing demand for the future
applications, battery-grade graphite can be recycled from easily
available spent LIBs sources in a larger amount and reused for
LIB application again through a simple, low-cost technique,
mainly in an environmentally friendly manner. Though this
graphite from spent LIBs could have undergone a multitude
of irreversible chemical changes during charging–discharging
cycles is the main answerable of the loss of performance, which
eventually leads to waste LIB. The reaction between the anode
graphite and the electrolyte changed the anode/electrolyte inter-
face, which plays a major role in the ageing of the anode. The
continuous SEI layer formation during cycling, encouraging Figure 2. Schematic diagram of the recycling of spent LIBs for the recovery
the impedance rise and eventually affects the cell performance. and reuse of graphite from spent LIBs for energy storage applications.
At the same time, lithium would have been deposited at the sur-
face of graphite instead of being intercalated, which could accel- high-temperature furnace ranging from 2600 to 3300 °C, which
erate the ageing process. Also, continuous cycling alters the can eliminate the presence of metals and its oxides from the
graphite volume creates mechanical stress inside the graphite waste material via gasification. However, this technique could
particles, which decreases the particle size effectively. These consume a large amount of energy as well as makes the recy-
phenomena result in the loss of active material and lithium, cling process is an economically viable one. Additionally, chlo-
along with intercalation performance reduction. Anyhow, the rine gas has been employed to convert the metals and oxides
ageing effects may vary depending upon the LIB system and into metal chlorides at a temperature of 1000–1100 °C in which
configuration since the cell components have decided it, i.e., evolving Cl2 is toxic to the environment.[25,26]
the design of electrode, active material, and composition of the
electrolyte, etc.[20,21] Undesirably, ≈5% of spent LIBs recycling
not crossed yet so far by the number of reasons such as tech- 3. Research Progress of the Graphite Reuse in
nical constraints and regulatory gaps result in 2 million metric
Lab-Scale: Energy and Other Applications
tons spent LIBs per year by 2030 pushes the researchers/recy-
cling industries to reutilize the metals and non-metals in an Currently, some research efforts have been made to develop
effective way of recycling methods (Figure 2). However, cur- the reuse process of graphite in the direction of energy
rent recycling industries follow mostly the pyrometallurgy and storage applications shows the prospect of “recycle-reuse” in
few hydrometallurgy processes, as well as some industries like the large-scale process for the recycling industries to fulfill
Umicore, employ both methodologies to recover high-value the recycling process.[30–34] Indeed, the anode part also con-
metals, such as Co, Li, and Ni from the cathodes.[22] The pyro- tains lithium, and it should be recovered before reuse in other
metallurgical process does not provide a guarantee for the pre- applications.[35] He and his co-workers[36] optimized the hydro-
separation of spent LIB components before entering into the metallurgical process using HCl and H2O2 as the lixiviant to
smelting process where both cathode and anode material will be recover the maximum lithium from the spent graphite. After
involved, and metals only can be recovered eventually. It should optimizing the parameters such as the concentration of HCl,
be noticed the future critical material graphite will be burned or temperature, solid–liquid ratio, and time, the obtained results
exploited as a reductant for metals in these processes.[23] Some revealed that 99.4 wt% of lithium could be recovered from the
other recycling industries like Accurec separating the plastics, heat-treated graphite once removing the organic components
current collectors, and metallic cases using the mechanical pro- at 500 °C. Also, the original structure of graphite regained
cess before involving the spent LIBs into the pyrometallurgical after the lixiviation process. However, this high recovery effi-
process. Nevertheless, there is no sign of graphite recovery/ ciency can be obtained using 3 m HCl at 80 °C for 90 min
reuse process that draws attention to the graphite which is a in the solid–liquid ratio of 1:50 g mL−1 could not support the
residue in the slag at the end of the recycling process. Also, recycling process to be cost-effective and eco-friendly. Zhang
recently developed hydrometallurgical processes are mainly et al.[31] removed the binder, SEI layer, and conductive additive
paying their attention toward the metal-rich cathode part via lix- from the waste graphite through a shear-emulsifying technique
iviation, followed by various purification methods and not done using H2SO4 and H2O2 solution, subsequently treated at dif-
in view of the complete recycling process.[24] There is another ferent temperatures. In the second step, these heat-treated
possibility to repair the spent graphite through graphitization at samples were again coated with phenolic resin and calcined at

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300–600 °C to evaluate their performance as an anode mate-
rial for LIBs. The resultant material at 600 °C exhibited a high
charge capacity of ≈343 mAh g−1 with 98.7% capacity retention
after 50 cycles. In this approach, authors could not attain the
original capacity of the graphite because of the presence of
residual, which made negative electrochemical effect during
the performance. Rothermel et al.[37] have investigated the suit-
ability of spent LIBs graphite as an anode for the LIBs before
and after electrolyte extraction. Also, the hydrometallurgical
method without separation steps has been reported by Wang
and his co-workers[38] elucidate the recovered graphite could be
reached a comparable capacity of 377 mAh g–1 at 0.1 C. Wang
et al.[39] reclaimed the graphite with simple water treatment
regains 345 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles where residual Li present
in the graphite layers react with water separated the SEI layer
by producing H2 gas. Recently, Subramanyan et al.[40] reported
the possibility of using the mechanically separated graphitic
anode toward the fabrication of ≈1.4 V class Li-ion cells with
LiCrTiO4 cathode by utilizing the Ti4+/3+ couple. Aravindan
et al.[28] proposed the possibility of reusing the graphite as an
anode material with pre-lithiation/treatment for LIB and Li-ion
capacitor (LIC) application by pairing the olivine LiFePO4 and
activated carbon (AC) as the cathodes, respectively. Thus con-
structed LIB delivered energy of 313 Wh kg–1, and LIC provides
≈112 Wh kg–1 with decent cycling profiles. Recently, our group
has fabricated a high-energy LIC using recovered graphite from
spent LIBs as an anode and AC as the cathode (Figure 3).[27]
After simple heat treatment and pre-lithiation, the constructed
LIC delivered a maximum energy density of 185.54 Wh kg–1 and
the temperature performance results in pieces of evidence that
the spent LIB graphite can be reutilized for commercialization
if recycled in a proper technique by researchers/industries.
From the results mentioned above, it is evident that the recov-
ered graphite is not only valuable for LIB as an anode, also for
the utilization of anode for high energy LIC in the pre-lithiated
state with AC as a counter electrode.[27,28]
Liang et al.[29] performed the calcination at different tem-
peratures to evaluate the spent LIBs graphite as an anode for
Na and K-ion batteries. The optimized electrodes exhibited
a good specific capacity of 162 and 320 mAh g–1, respectively,
for Na and K-ion battery applications (Figure 3i–n). Further,
the recovered graphite can be transformed into graphene for
multifarious applications like gas storage,[41] supercapacitor
electrodes,[42] etc.[22] One of the interesting approaches is the
re-synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) from the recov-
ered graphite and outer metallic cases of spent LIBs. In this
study, the recovered aluminium and metallic cases were used
as a reducing agent in the presence of HCl to synthesis rGO
separately for supercapacitor application, offered high cycling
stability of 20 000 cycles indicates that the recovered graphite
can be reused for the preparation of graphene derivatives.[42]
The resultant material has shown promising results toward
H2 and CO2 storage applications.[41] The above positive results
shed light on the opportunity of developing the reuse of spent
LIBs graphite in the existing as well as in the emerging energy
storage applications (Figure 2). Li and his co-workers[43] pro-
posed a new strategy to prepare graphene oxide and graphene
from spent LIBs. They have analyzed the influence of cycling
on the graphite and answered the battery charge/discharge
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process would be helpful to convert the graphite into graphene
or not in detail. The preparation of graphene oxide has been
demonstrated in one step using the Hummer’s method with
already pre-swelled graphite which obtained during cycling.
The symmetric supercapacitor using this resultant rGO dis-
played 312 F g−1. In contrast, the rGO produced from pristine
one exhibited 99 F g−1, proves that battery cycling eases the
preparation of GO and saves the time period. As well, high
production of 33–36% of graphene attained compared to the
graphene obtained from pristine one via shear-mixing due to
the lattice expansion during the battery cycling that broken the
graphite bonding layers to get higher exfoliation efficiency. Fur-
ther, H2SO4 treatment enabled the productivity up to 83.7% via
further swelling the graphite. For the practical applications, the
mechanical properties of the graphene composite have been
made with epoxy that displayed good mechanical properties.
Other than above applications, graphite has been efficiently
reused for dye removal and polymer-graphite film prepara-
tion using the recovered separator and graphite from spent
LIBs.[44,45]
It is important to note that the possible impurities may pre-
sent in the spent graphite during regeneration are residual
cathode materials along with elemental Cu, Fe, Al, etc. Gen-
erally, oxidative lixiviation can be performed to eliminate the
elemental impurities, whereas high-valence impurities such
as Co and Mn can be removed via the reductive lixiviation
process. Recently, researchers demonstrated the removal of
contaminants from the spent graphite by sulfuric acid at low
temperature where all high-valence metals transformed into
low-valence sulfates and regenerated the graphite in its original
structure at a higher temperature. The regenerated graphite
also exhibited an initial charge capacity of 349 mAh g−1, and it
claimed no wastewater generation in this process encourages
us to find more routes to purify the graphite efficiently.[25] Also,
it is noteworthy to include the reuse of graphite, if the structure
gets distorted as a result of the several charge–discharge cycles.
This type of damaged structure certainly can be employed as an
electrode for the reversible Na-storage process with carbonate-
based electrolytes owing more number of defects in their lay-
ered structure.[46] In the case of more mechanical damage in the
graphite structure, it can be easily milled and renewed as a hard
carbon that can intercalate both Li and Na-ions reversibly.[47,48]
Undoubtedly, the hard carbon is one of the promising anodes
for Na-ion batteries and high power anode for Li-ion capacitors;
thus, the transformation of damaged graphite to hard carbon
paving a route to prepare this kind of commercialized carbo-
naceous materials from the spent LIBs.[49] Additionally, the for-
mation of metal composites (e.g., Si-graphite) is commendable
using the damaged graphite toward the goal of developing next-
generation anode for high energy Li-ion power packs.[50]
4. Conclusion and Future Requirement of Graphite
Electrode Recycling
As discussed earlier, industries/research has focused on the
recovery/reuse of spent LIB cathodes to compensate for the
future raw materials demand for the futuristic needs, and
none of the LIB recycling industries so far have targeted the
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Figure 3. a,b) Surface morphological features of recovered graphite, c) High resolution-transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM) images with
lattice fringes. Inset: TEM picture, d) selected area electron diffraction pattern; Electrochemical performance of graphitic carbon (GC) between 0.005
and 1.5 V versus Li at a current density of 100 mA g–1. Reproduced with permission.[27] Copyright 2020, Royal Society of Chemistry. e) Typical charge–
discharge curves for the first three cycles. Inset: the differential capacity profile. f) Plot of capacity versus cycle number; Electrochemical performance
of AC/pre-lithiated GC based LIC between 2 and 4.3 V at various current densities. g) Typical galvanostatic charge–discharge curves, and h) cycling
profiles of LIC at a current density of 1 A g–1. Reproduced with permission.[28] Copyright 2019, John Wiley and Sons. Galvanostatic charge–discharge
curves of the initial five cycles at a low current density of 0.05 A g–1, rate capability at various current densities, and cycling performance of recovered
graphite heat-treated at 1300 °C. i–k) Na-ion half-cells with 1 m NaCF3SO3 in diethylene glycol dimethyl ether electrolyte, and l–n) K-ion half-cells with
0.8 m KPF6 in ethylene carbonate: diethyl carbonate (1: 1 in volume) electrolyte. For the tests of cycling performance at (k) 2 A g–1, and (n) 0.2 A g–1
in Na-ion battery and K-ion battery, respectively, both cells are firstly stabilized at 0.05 and 0.1 A g–1. Reproduced with permission.[29] Copyright 2019,
Royal Society of Chemistry.

recovery/reuse of graphite using the existing technologies. Few
industries have been involved in the graphite reduction process
of metals along with cathode materials, or it will be burned
during the pyrometallurgical process that cannot be acceptable
in which demand is growing at an increasing rate and also a
lot of opportunities behind to be reused in the various applica-
tions. However, few research groups are emerging on the reuse
of graphite for energy storage applications, which has shown
promising results that may help to attain in the industrial scale.
Though some concerns need to be solved before executing
the bulk scale process. The issues associated with the current
graphite recycling/reuse process from spent LIBs are as follows:
1. LIB recycling is considered one of the complex operations
due to the usage of a large variety of cathode combinations
by the industry. Hence, the “second-life” has been prosed as a
short-term solution, since the spent LIB can retain 70–80% of
initial capacity and function for several years in low-end
applications like residential and commercial spaces, grid
storage, power backups, etc.[51]

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2. Recently, the color codes are introduced by the manufactur-

ers to the cells (e.g., 18 650 cells), which minimizes the com-
plexity and allows the more natural segregation of the active
materials upon the bulk recycling process.[52]
3. Most of the reported studies have verified the direct re-uti-
lization of the graphite in some applications where the op-
portunity is offered to recover lithium in the anode side as a
result of the SEI formation during the charging–discharging
process. Such an effort will help to gain another value-added
product of “Li” from the spent LIBs that could support the
recycling process economically to some extent.
4. The beneficial effect of utilizing the recovered graphite anode
is the expanded interlayer spacings, which often translates
high power capability to the system. It has been clearly vali-
dated from our previous work on dual-carbon LIC.[27]
5. Moreover, the recovered graphite subjected to several ageing
mechanisms like SEI formation and intercalation of solvent
molecules could result in structural changes and graphite
degradation. Therefore, surface treatment is recommended
to stabilize the capacity if the graphite is not performed well
after recovery treatment.
6. There is also a possibility to obtain metal impurities while per-
forming the recovery of graphite when all spent LIB compo- Figure 4. Multifarious applications of graphite in various charge storage
nents not separated that can affect the graphite purity, thereby devices.
the performance. Therefore, researchers should ensure the
purity of the graphite before reuse into some applications.
7. It is well-known that graphite and its derivatives are of great Acknowledgements
interest not only for clean energy applications. But few at-
V.A. acknowledges the financial support from the Science and
tempts only have been made so far for the preparation of
Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of the Department
graphene derivatives from spent graphite, which also could of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, through the Ramanujan
not reach the original performance. More research efforts are Fellowship (SB/S2/RJN-088/2016).
needed to be explored well in this research direction to ben-
efit the complete LIB recycling process.
8. The price of the graphite should be calculated along with the
current collector, i.e., Cu. For example, the manufacturer uses
Conflict of Interest
spinel Li4Ti5O12 or metallic Li as an anode; the Cu current col- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
lector is no longer required for LIB. It is a very crucial point
to mention here, and hence, the price of the electrode should
be calculated along with the respective current collectors. Keywords
9. Besides, the recovered graphite is not only restricted to Li-ion
battery and capacitor applications, which can be extended to Na- anodes, graphite recycling, spent Li-ion batteries
ion battery and capacitor (via “solvation intercalation”) and also
Received: July 9, 2020
possible to explore as a prospective electrode material for emerg- Revised: July 27, 2020
ing charge storage systems like K-ion battery and capacitor, Al- Published online:
ion batteries, dual-ion batteries, flow batteries, etc. (Figure 4).
Most importantly, the futuristic requirement of graphite can be
fulfilled by efficient LIB recycling in a scalable manner.
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Subramanian Natarajan is currently a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Nanomaterials and

Systems Laboratory, Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Jeju National University, South
Korea. He carried out his work at CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute
(CSIR-CSMCRI) with Professor Hari C. Bajaj and earned a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India in 2018. His
research interest includes the recovery of valuable materials from spent lithium-ion batteries and
their re-utilization in electrochemical energy storage and conversion applications.

Adv. Energy Mater. 2020, 2002238 2002238 (7 of 8) © 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH

www.advancedsciencenews.com www.advenergymat.de

Vanchiappan Aravindan is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the Department of

Chemistry, IISER, Tirupati, India. He received his Ph.D. in 2009 at Gandhigram Rural University,
Gandhigram, India. Then he was joined as Post-Doctoral Fellow at Chonnam National University,
Gwang-ju, in Korea with Prof. Yun-Sung Lee. Later, he joined (2010–2017) as a Senior Scientist at
Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His
research interest includes the development of high-performance electrodes and electrolytes for
Li-ion chemistry and beyond, including Li-ion battery recycling.

Adv. Energy Mater. 2020, 2002238 2002238 (8 of 8) © 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH