An Overview of Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling: A Comparison of Brazilian and International Scenarios

Purely electric and hybrid vehicles are emerging as the transport sector’s response to meet climate goals, aiming to mitigate global warming. As the adoption of transport electrification increases, the importance of recycling components of the electric propulsion system at the end of their life grow...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jean Furlanetto, Marcus V. C. de Lara, Murilo Simionato, Vagner do Nascimento, Giovani Dambros Telli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:World Electric Vehicle Journal
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/16/7/371
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Summary:Purely electric and hybrid vehicles are emerging as the transport sector’s response to meet climate goals, aiming to mitigate global warming. As the adoption of transport electrification increases, the importance of recycling components of the electric propulsion system at the end of their life grows, particularly the battery pack, which significantly contributes to the vehicle’s final cost and generates environmental impacts and CO<sub>2</sub> during production. This work presents an overview of the recycling processes for lithium-ion automotive batteries, emphasizing the developing Brazilian scenario and more established international scenarios. In Brazil, companies and research centers are investing in recycling and using reused cathode material to manufacture new batteries through the hydrometallurgical process. On the international front, pyrometallurgy and physical recycling are being applied, and other methods, such as direct processes and biohydrometallurgy, are also under study. Regardless of the recycling method, the main challenge is scaling prototype processes to meet current and future battery demand, driven by the growth of electric and hybrid vehicles, pursuing both environmental gains through reduced mining and CO<sub>2</sub> emissions and economic viability to make recycling profitable and support global electrification.
ISSN:2032-6653