| Abstract Scope |
The recycling of spent batteries presents significant challenges, notably the generation of substantial volumes of wastewater. This wastewater exhibits complex chemical characteristics, affected by both the inherent chemistry of the batteries and the specific process parameters employed during recycling. Interestingly, this wastewater contains economically recoverable components, including lithium. Here, a solvent extraction (SX) process was explored to recover lithium from battery recycling wastewater. Initially, various commercial extractants were evaluated, such as D2EHPA, PC88A, Cyanex 272, LIX 84-I, TBP, and their combinations. The results indicate that D2EHPA + TBP system demonstrated superior performance in extracting lithium. Subsequently, the effects of parameters, including D2EHPA concentration, TBP concentration, extraction time, initial pH, and aqueous-to-organic (A/O) ratio were investigated and optimized. A two-stage SX approach was employed to enhance lithium recovery. Lithium was stripped from the loaded organic solution using sulfuric acid (H2SO4). The recyclability of D2EHPA-TBP was evaluated via five extraction-stripping cycles. |