Ecuadorian solvent enables lithium‑cobalt battery recycling

Researchers in Ecuador have created a deep eutectic solvent, called oxaline, made from choline chloride and oxalic acid, to recover lithium and cobalt from spent lithium‑ion batteries. The method heats cathode ash and dissolves it in the solvent at about 90 °C, allowing complete extraction of both metals within four hours. Adding ethanol and centrifuging precipitates the metal salts, after which the solvent can be regenerated for reuse. Raising the temperature by 30 °C raises cobalt recovery from 40 % to 100 %. The approach is low‑cost, environmentally friendly and promises a simpler, cheaper route to clean lithium‑cobalt salts, as reported in the journal *Molecules*.

The technique could improve large‑scale battery waste management by reducing energy use and chemical hazards compared with conventional recycling processes.