Scientists Use PET Waste to Recover Valuable Metals from EV Batteries

The team utilized a lab-scale pyrolysis process to treat both waste PET and spent lithium-ion battery cathodes containing Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese (NCM). By heating the materials at 550°C for 30 minutes without the need for additional chemicals, they achieved a remarkable 99% recovery of valuable metals—lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese.

This breakthrough method capitalizes on the chemical reactions between PET and NCM at high temperatures, efficiently extracting these critical metals needed for the transition to sustainable energy solutions. As the demand for metals like lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese rises due to their use in EV batteries and other electronic products, this process provides a promising solution to reduce reliance on mining and improve resource recovery.

Although PET is known to degrade and undergo thermal cracking at lower temperatures, which can complicate its use in pyrolysis, the researchers used this property to their advantage. The degradation of PET released free radicals and reductive gases, which interacted with the NCM materials to disrupt the stable crystal lattice of lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese ions. This interaction made it easier to separate and collect the target metals, leading to the high recovery rate.

By incorporating PET into the pyrolysis process, the team was able to lower the required temperature and shorten the reaction time, making the entire process more efficient. Their findings, published in *Communications Engineering*, a Nature journal, demonstrate that this chemical-free, energy-efficient, and scalable method can not only recover critical metals from spent batteries but also address PET waste, contributing to both environmental sustainability and resource recovery.

This innovative approach represents a promising solution for managing electronic waste, reducing the environmental impact of plastic, and helping to meet the growing demand for materials crucial to green technologies like electric vehicles.