Advanced direct recycling enables upcycling of spent lithium-ion batteries

The rapid expansion of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage intensify the demand for sustainable recycling strategies. Traditional metallurgical recycling methods face significant challenges, including high energy consumption, environmental pollution, and inefficient critical metals recovery. In contrast, advanced direct recycling can selectively extract valuable metals while preserving cathode structure, achieving over 99% lithium recovery from lithium iron phosphate. Moreover, by directly repairing defects and crystal structures of spent materials, their electrochemical performance can be effectively restored. Due to significantly reduced energy and reagent inputs, direct recycling cuts processing costs by over 20% and reduces waste emissions by at least 40% compared to conventional methods, making it a promising low-carbon alternative. This review systematically integrates the recent advances in direct recycling of spent batteries as well as the limitations and challenges of existing technologies, and proposes future research pathways to promote resource recycling and sustainable development.