Lithium and cobalt recovery from lithium cobalt oxide cathode wastes: Process simulation and techno-economic assessment

The selective separation of lithium and cobalt from leachate solution is a critical challenge in lithium-ion battery (LIB) waste management. This study develops a detailed process simulation and techno-economic assessment (TEA) of a hydrometallurgical recycling process to recover lithium and cobalt from lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) cathode materials using sulfuric acid-based leaching. The process was simulated in Aspen Plus® V14, incorporating stoichiometric reaction blocks with electrolyte-equilibrium chemistry to accurately model metal dissolution, aqueous speciation, separation, and precipitation. The simulation results in 99.89 % cobalt sulfate (CoSO 4 ) purity and 98.93 % lithium carbonate (Li 2 CO 3 ) purity, respectively. An economic analysis, considering both capital and operating costs, resulted in a positive net present value (NPV) of $36.72 million over a 20-year project duration for a 100 kg/hr feed. This suggests economic potential under the base-case performance scenario. Sensitivity analysis showed that profitability is highly sensitive to both product price realization and recovery efficiency. This study serves as a foundation for future process optimization and comparative evaluation of new recycling technologies.