Researchers at Monash University have unveiled a breakthrough method to extract high-purity nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries using a mild, sustainable solvent — paving the way for safer and greener recycling of electronic waste.
The innovative process provides a cleaner, more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional recycling methods that rely on high temperatures or harsh chemicals.
With the exponential growth of electric vehicles and portable electronics, waste from lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has become a global concern.
Around 500,000 tonnes of spent LIBs have already accumulated worldwide, yet only about 10 per cent are fully recycled in Australia.
The remainder often ends up in landfill, where toxic elements can leach into soil and groundwater, eventually entering the food chain and creating long-term health risks.
Despite these hazards, spent batteries remain a valuable secondary resource, containing strategic metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, copper, aluminium and graphite.
However, current recovery techniques typically focus on extracting only a few of these elements, often using energy-intensive or hazardous processes.
The Monash team’s newly developed method addresses these challenges through a novel deep eutectic solvent (DES) system combined with an integrated chemical and electrochemical leaching approach.
Dr Parama Chakraborty Banerjee, principal supervisor and project lead from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, said the system achieved impressive recovery rates even from complex waste streams.
“This is the first report of selective recovery of high-purity Ni, Co, Mn, and Li from spent battery waste using a mild solvent,” said Dr Banerjee.
According to Dr Banerjee, the process achieves more than 95 per cent recovery of nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium, even from industrial-grade “black mass” — the powdery residue containing mixed battery chemistries and impurities such as graphite, aluminium and copper.
“Our process not only provides a safer, greener alternative for recycling lithium-ion batteries but also opens pathways to recover valuable metals from other electronic wastes and mine tailings,” she said.
PhD student and co-author Parisa Biniaz said the innovation represents a major advance toward a circular economy for critical metals while reducing the environmental footprint of discarded batteries.
“Our integrated process allows high selectivity and recovery even from complex, mixed battery black mass,” Biniaz said.
“The research demonstrates a promising approach for industrial-scale recycling, recovering critical metals efficiently while minimising environmental harm.”
The team’s findings highlight the potential for scaling up the process to help industries sustainably recover high-value materials, reducing dependence on virgin mining and contributing to global resource security.
Beyond battery recycling, the researchers believe their DES-based method could be adapted for recovering metals from other forms of electronic waste and even mining by-products.
The study provides a timely response to growing demand for ethical and sustainable metal extraction methods as the world transitions toward cleaner energy systems.
By combining chemical innovation with environmental responsibility, the Monash team aims to make battery recycling not only practical but also commercially viable.
