A tandem project of Dr. Yuwei Zhang (MPI for Sustainable Materials) and Prof. Claudia Weidenthaler (MPI für Kohlenforschung).
About
From mercury-contaminated silver mines to water-depleting lithium brine extraction, conventional mining has left a legacy of environmental damage that is no longer sustainable. As global demand for lithium surges, cleaner alternatives are urgently needed. This project explores a ball-milling–based approach to recycle lithium from spent Li-ion batteries. By uncovering the mechanochemical transformations that enable efficient lithium recovery, the project aims to advance a scalable and environmentally responsible pathway toward a circular battery economy.
Persons
- Dr. Yuwei Zhang (Group Leader Chemo-mechanics of Battery Materials, MPI for Sustainable Materials)
- Prof. Claudia Weidenthaler (Group Leader Powder Diffraction and Surface Spectroscopy, MPI für Kohlenforschung)
Project summary
Traditional mining practices are highly energy-intensive and environmentally damaging. Historical examples, such as mercury-based silver mining in South America, and modern lithium extraction from brine both demonstrate how conventional mining leads to severe pollution, resource depletion, and long-term harm to local ecosystems and communities. In particular, lithium brine extraction consumes vast amounts of water, posing critical sustainability challenges in already water-scarce regions. These issues highlight the urgent need for cleaner, more sustainable alternatives to meet growing lithium demand.
This project aims to develop a ball-milling-based recycling strategy for recovering lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries as a sustainable alternative to conventional mining and recycling routes. Compared with existing methods, the proposed approach operates at ambient temperatures, minimizes the use of toxic or corrosive solvents, and enables high lithium recovery efficiency.
