Fig. 2: Schematic summarizing feedstocks, pathways, and products in refinement analyses.
From: Life cycle comparison of industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling and mining supply chains
Schematic showing the feedstock, pathway, and products as a legend for the refinement methods. Five specific refinement analyses in this study: conventional refining (1 and 2) receives mined ore and brines, and circular refining methods (3–5) recycle from end-of-life batteries or scrap. While all scenarios produce identical Li2SO4 and Al2O3, Ni and Co products exist in the form of discrete salts, NiSO4 and CoSO4 (1 and 3), mixed hydroxide (Ni,Co)(OH)2 (2), or mixed metal sulfate (Ni,Co)SO4 (4 and 5). Red, gray, and blue colors denote reductive calcination pyrometallurgical, mechanical, and hydrometallurgical processes.
