Interesting Engineering FEB 2025 / by Ameya Paleja / Read original article
Oil and water do not mix but researchers created nanodroplets using ultrasound.
Scientists at the University of Leicester in the UK have devised a simple technique using water and cooking oil to extract valuable metals and recycle spent lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. The approach allows for room temperature purification of valuable metals in a matter of minutes, a press release said.
In our bid to move away from fossil fuels and switch to greener means of transportation and energy, humanity has bet heavily on lithium-ion batteries that can store large amounts of energy.
Li-ion batteries are used everywhere, whether in electric vehicles (EVs) to support the grid or even power the phone or computer you are reading this on.
How are Li-ion batteries recycled?
Estimates suggest that 40 million EVs and over 10 billion electronic devices use Li-ion batteries. The lack of regulations around their usage means they are not designed to be recycled. Instead, crude methods involving pyro/ hydrometallurgy are used to recover important metals from them.
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