From waste to value: Pilot-scale electric vehicle battery recycling in Armenia

<ns5:p> The accelerating transition toward electromobility brings both opportunities and challenges. End-of-life lithium-ion batteries represent a rapidly growing waste stream containing critical raw materials. This study presents the design of a pilot-scale recycling process developed to treat Armenia’s projected 500 t/year of spent lithium-ion batteries expected from 2028–2029 onward. The process integrates vacuum drying, sulfuric acid leaching with hydrogen peroxide oxidation, solvent extraction, and selective recovery of Li₂CO <ns5:sub>3</ns5:sub> , Co, and Ni. Drawing on data reported by previous researchers, the authors adopted operating conditions of 80 °C, pH < 2, and 4–6 h residence time, which are known to achieve leaching efficiencies of about 90% Li, 95% Co, and 85% Ni. Literature also confirms that under these parameters, producing >99.5% purity Li₂CO <ns5:sub>3</ns5:sub> is realistic. Calculations for the designed system indicated total water and energy consumption of about 3.7 m <ns5:sup>3</ns5:sup> /day and 1.2–1.6 MWh/day, respectively. With waste generation projected to reach 3,000 t/year by 2030, the modeled process indicates that a localized recycling facility could achieve a payback period on the order of 5–6 years under realistic, risk-adjusted assumptions, thereby demonstrating the technical and strategic feasibility of urban mining in Armenia and other small-market economies. </ns5:p>