Precise separation of spent lithium-ion cells in water without discharging for recycling

New methods for recycling lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are needed because traditional recycling methods are based on battery pulverization, which requires pre-treatment of tedious and non-eco-friendly discharging and results in low efficiency and high waste generation in post-treatment. Separating the components of recycled LIB cells followed by reuse or conversion of individual components could minimize material cross-contamination while avoiding excessive consumption of energy and chemicals. However, disposing of charged LIB cells is hazardous due to the high reactivity of lithiated graphite towards cathode materials and air, and the toxicity and flammability of the electrolytes. Here we demonstrate that the disassembly of charged jellyroll LIB cells in water with a single main step reveals no emissions from the cells and near perfect recycling efficiencies that exceed the targets of the US Department of Energy and Batteries Europe. The precise non-destructive mechanical method separates the components from jellyroll cell in water, avoiding both uncontrollable reactions from the anode and burning of the electrolyte, while allowing only a limited fraction of the anode lithium to react with water. Recycling in this way allows the recovery of materials with a value of ∼7.14 $ kg−1 cell, which is higher than that of physical separation (∼5.40 $ kg−1 cell) and much greater than the overall revenue achieved using element extraction methods (<1.00 $ kg−1 cell). The precise separation method could thus facilitate the establishment of a circular economy within the LIB industry and build a strong bridge between academia and the battery recycling industry.