Selective electrodialysis with bipolar membranes for cobalt and lithium recovery from spent lithium‐ion batteries

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The recovery of valuable metals from spent lithium‐ion batteries is pivotal for overcoming lithium resource shortages and mitigating environmental pollution. Herein, we propose a novel selective electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (BMSED) process for simultaneous cobalt and lithium recovery from a citric acid‐leaching lithium‐ion battery solution. By taking advantage of the accelerated water dissociation of bipolar membranes and the monovalent selectivity of Li + over Co 2+ ions from selective electrodialysis, one‐step preparation of 99.96% purity LiOH, cobalt salt, and 0.63 mol/L citric acid solution was achieved. The steric hindrance effect of citrate across anion‐exchange membranes was investigated via positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy characterization. The competitive migration between the proton and metal cations across the cation‐exchange membrane could decrease the current efficiency. A carbon footprint analysis revealed that the BMSED procedure accounted for only 18.40% of the total carbon emissions, demonstrating the environmental friendliness of this recycling method.