The anode environmentally friendly for water electrolysis based in LiCoO2 recycled from spent lithium-ion batteries

In this paper, a new anode for oxygen evolution reaction was developed from recycling of spent Li-ion cathode. After heating at 400 °C for 24 h, the spent cathode has LiCoO2 and Co3O4 in its composition. This new material was mixed with graphite and conformed in tablet for application as anode in oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline solution (NaOH 6.0 mol L−1). The concentrations of cathode in this mixture were 0, 10, 20 and 50% in mass. The best condition was 10% in mass. Under this condition the evolution of oxygen reaches 1010 mA cm−2, however, for pure graphite the current density reaches only 600 mA cm−2. Thus, this work offers an optimal choice for the waste generated by the Li-ion batteries.

► A new anode for oxygen evolution reaction from recycling of spent Li-ion cathode. ► The best condition was 10% in mass of spent Li-ion cathode. ► In 1.0 V the evolution of oxygen reaches 1010 mA cm−2 for new anode. ► For pure graphite the current density reaches only 600 mA cm−2 in 1.0 V.