Abstract
Renewable energy, by means of energy capture, storage, and transmission, is able to fulfil the catastrophic energy demand worldwide but requires suitable storage devises. Rechargeable batteries are prominent to do so. However, based on the capability of energy storage, Ni-Cd, Pb-acid, and Li-ion batteries are the most important and remained in wider use among others. Therefore, a large number of batteries is being spent after completion of their life span, and this needed to be handled in proper manner. The landfill disposal may cause severe environmental problems like soil, ground, and water pollution with the hazardous and toxic contents therein (like Cd, Ni, Co, KCl). Additionally, such kind of disposal is a huge loss of resources as to the criticality and strategic importance of these metals due to their crustal abundance and geopolitical scenario. Efficient recycling of spent batteries can lead toward the sustainable solution of this problem via conservation of primary ores by recovery of metals, waste minimization, and recycling. Recycling of spent battery is in trend and has been a global topic for environmentalists and metallurgists. Several research works have been done that clearly indicate the economic and environmental interests in this area. Therefore, we attempt, in this chapter, to investigate and discuss the recycling processes for the extraction, separation, and recovery of metals from not only a technological perspective but also the related environmental issues.
