Electrochemical Extraction of Lib Cathode NMC532 and Its Effects on Inorganic and Organic Acid Extraction Performance

Environmentally friendly processes to recapture critical metals and supplement domestic markets are vital to overall sustainability in the energy sector. In this work, a new methodology is used to explore electrochemical extraction of critical elements, such as Co and Ni, to compare the extraction performance of hydrochloric acid and acetic acid. The battery cathode material (LiNi 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 O 2 ) is exposed to acidic solutions at varying experimental parameters, such as concentration, temperature, rotation rate, current density, and hydrogen peroxide content in a rotating disc electrode setup. The concentrations of transition metals are measured over time using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). These results are compared with simple agitation extraction results under similar conditions without applied current. After electrochemical extraction, the NMC532 residue is collected for morphological analysis using dual beam scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The methodology used can facilitate the development of advanced electrochemical systems and provide valuable insight into key mechanisms for various hydrometallurgical and electrochemical processes. Acknowledgments The authors acknowledge financial support from the NSF IUCRC program for the “Center for solid-state electric power storage” (#2052631) and the NSF IUCRC REM program for “Broadening Participation in critical STEM research and innovation through energy sustainability (BP-STEM)” (#2311925). The authors also acknowledge support from the South Dakota Board of Regents for the “Governor’s Research Center (GRC) for electrochemical energy storage”.