Bioleaching for Recovery of Metals from Spent Batteries–A Review

Abstract

This review addresses the recovery of metals from all the main types of spent batteries (including Li-based, Zn-based, and Ni-based batteries) using bioleaching processes. Traditional processes are based on pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods and can be costly and, in some cases, cannot effectively recover the metals used in battery manufacture. Biobased hydrometallurgy may circumvent some of these drawbacks. This review presents a classification of batteries based on chemical composition from a recycling point of view. The bacterial and fungal leaching for each type of battery is reviewed. The research outputs are compared in each section, and chemical and biological mechanisms are presented. In addition, the catalytic effect of metals on the bioleaching process is reviewed for each battery. The results indicated that the main bioleaching mechanisms are the reactions of metals with metabolites, acid dissolution, and their combinations with oxidation-reduction reactions. The reactions presented in the literature are assessed and modified thermodynamically. The advantages and disadvantages of batteries bioleaching are discussed, and a future perspective is drawn. Although battery bioleaching has high efficiency and is an environmentally friendly method, with no gas emission and low energy consumption, slow kinetics and low pulp densities are among the major limiting factors hindering bioprocessing development from pilot to commercial scale.