Chemical recycling of cell phone Li-ion batteries: Application in environmental remediation

- Recycled cathode of Li-ion batteries as catalyst for degradation of MB is proposed.
- The mechanism is related by generation of superoxide radical.
- The addiction of cathode reduces the activation energy of 83 kJ mol−1 for 26 kJ mol−1.

This paper presents, for the first time, the recycling and use of spent Li-ion battery cathode tape as a catalyst in the degradation of an organic dye. In our proposal, two major environmental problems can be solved: the secure disposal of cell phone batteries and the treatment of effluents with potentially toxic organic dyes. The spent Li-ion battery cathode investigated in this paper corresponds to 29% of the mass of Li-ion batteries and is made up of 83% LiCoO2, 14.5% C and less than 2.5% Al, Al2O3 and Co3O4. The use of spent Li-ion battery cathode tape increased the degradation velocity constant of methylene blue in the absence of light by about 200 times in relation to pure H2O2. This increase can be explained by a reduction in the activation energy from 83 kJ mol−1 to 26 kJ mol−1. The mechanism of degradation promoted by LiCoO2 is probably related to the generation of superoxide radical (O2−). The rupture of the aromatic rings of methylene blue was analyzed by ESI-MS.