Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology Advances in Environmental Technology 2476-6674 11 4 2025 10 01 Recycling spent lithium-ion batteries: A holistic approach for addressing environmental challenges and resource recovery 357 395 1552 10.22104/aet.2025.7133.1962 EN Aparna Mukherjee Department of Civil Engineering, Symbiosis Institute of Technology (SIT), Symbiosis International (Deemed University) (SIU), Pune, India Sayalii Apte Department of Civil Engineering, Symbiosis Institute of Technology (SIT), Symbiosis International (Deemed University) (SIU), Pune, India Sayali Sandbhor Department of Civil Engineering, Symbiosis Institute of Technology (SIT), Symbiosis International (Deemed University) (SIU), Pune, India Daniel Deng Kiir Kuany Independent Researcher, Juba, Central Equatorial, South Sudan Journal Article 2024 09 27 The globally projected share of Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIB) in the market will be around 875 million tons by 2025, leading to the generation of a tremendous amount of spent LIB trash to be dealt with. However, literature shows that only a tiny fraction of spent LIB is recycled currently, while the majority ends up in landfills, leading to environmental degradation. Though there is existing literature discussing the research trend and methods for recycling spent LIBs, very few reviews cover a comprehensive comparison of all the recycling methods along with the pretreatments. The major objective of the paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the research landscape regarding LIB recycling, emphasizing the significant advancements in the field and valuable insights into the latest developments in LIB recycling technologies through a critical review of the recent and highly cited literature for spent LIB recycling. The paper focuses on three primary recycling approaches: pyro-metallurgical, hydrometallurgical, and direct recycling. The paper also covers major LIB types, analytical methods, spent LIB disposal challenges, the need for recovery of heavy metals, and pretreatment methods for LIB waste recycling. The paper further discusses the characterization techniques for leachates generated during hydrometallurgical processes, revealing the presence of various metals such as Al, Co, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, and Ni. The detailed systematic review thus highlights the LIB recycling prospects and obstacles, and further research required to stimulate the creation of inventive and long-lasting solutions for a circular economy leading to sustainable development. https://aet.irost.ir/article_1552_2a9c0c2391909967c9892ce7e93a28fc.pdf