2025 AIChE Annual Meeting

From Lithium-Ion Batteries to Chemical Adsorbent for Pharmaceutical Removal from Wastewater

Upcycling spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for the removal of pharmaceutical pollutants offers a double solution to persistent environmental problems including mitigating e-waste and addressing the presence of pharmaceutical pollutants in wastewater. This study explores the synthesis, characterization and evaluation of effectiveness of upcycling spent LIBs to an adsorbent. An efficient method to recover non-graphitized carbon from spent LIB cathode powder was proposed.

The carbon was used for the production of activated carbon (AC) adsorbent while its performance for the removal of bisphenol from wastewater under controlled conditions were assessed. The adsorbent was characterized, and tested under different conditions (AC dosage, contact time, pH). The results show that activated carbon from spent LIBs cathode powder can be effectively produced through pyrolysis and activation. With clear structural and porous properties confirmed by XRD, SEM, BET and SEM-EDS functions.

The material can rapidly and efficiently remove bisphenol within various controlled ranges of temperatures, this demonstrates a promising sustainable adsorbent for both e-waste management and water purification. Future work will be focusing on optimizing production, scale up, and test against more pharmaceutical pollutants in real wastewater.