Upcycling of end-of-life photovoltaic panels and lithium from spent Li-ion batteries for the sustainable synthesis of lithium metasilicate

Upcycling of end-of-life photovoltaic panels and lithium from spent Li-ion batteries for the sustainable synthesis of lithium metasilicate | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Upcycling of end-of-life photovoltaic panels and lithium from spent Li-ion batteries for the sustainable synthesis of lithium metasilicate Pablo Orosco, Oriana Barrios, Lucía Barbosa This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7246255/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract A wide range of portable electronic devices, such as laptops, mobile phones, electronic tools, and electric vehicles, utilize lithium-ion batteries as energy storage resource. However, its application is restricted by moderate electrochemical performance and the significant cost of production. As part of the strategies to enhance the electrochemical performance, lithium metasilicate (Li 2 SiO 3 ) has been proposed as a coating layer for the anode material. Thus, lithium diffusion and electronic conductivity are improved while preventing the expansion of the anode volume. This potential application of Li 2 SiO 3 is conditioned upon the costs associated with both the process and the raw materials required for its synthesis. This study aims to develop a cost-effective synthesis route for lithium metasilicate by replacing conventional raw materials with recycled precursors; lithium chloride recovered from spent Li-ion batteries and silicon extracted from discarded photovoltaic panels. The molar ratio of LiCl to Si was assessed to determine the best conditions for the synthesis of Li 2 SiO 3 . The influence of milling the time on the promotion of the formation of this metasilicate. Non-isothermal calcinations were performed throughout a temperature range of 20–900°C to evaluate the impact of temperature on the reaction path. Furthermore, isothermal calcinations were conducted to determine the impact of time on the reaction yield. The reaction mechanism also was investigated. The results indicated that a molar ratio of LiCl to Si of 5:1 and a milling time of 24 h produce a high yield of Li 2 SiO 3 . The synthesis of Li 2 SiO 3 was found to initiate at 600°C. A yield of 97.15% was obtained from the calcination performed at 900°C for 21 min. Recycling Lithium-ion batteries Solar PV panels Chemical synthesis Lithium metasilicate Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7246255","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":509994662,"identity":"3eb636fb-307e-4186-99a7-24de814ad2e3","order_by":0,"name":"Pablo Orosco","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA1klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACHsYDEAYziJaQIUYLA1QLWwJICw8pWngMIFxCwJz97IEDH/fY2PO393x+daPGgoeB/fDRDfi0WPbkJRyc8SwtccaZs9usc44BHcaTlnYDnxaDAzkGh3kOHE4wkMjdZpzDBtQiwWOGX8v5N2At9gYSOc+Mc/4Ro+UGxBbGDRI5zI9z24jQYjnjHdAvB0B+OWbGnNsnwcNGyC/m/LkHH3w4AAqx5sefc77VyfGzHz6G32FIbDYJMIlPOboW5g+EVI+CUTAKRsHIBAAc/0tBRB4CnAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"CIDMEJu-Universidad Nacional de Jujuy","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Pablo","middleName":"","lastName":"Orosco","suffix":""},{"id":509994663,"identity":"823b1a43-99bf-4b93-952c-859aedf49cb3","order_by":1,"name":"Oriana Barrios","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"INTEQUI (CONICET-UNSL), Universidad Nacional de San Luis","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Oriana","middleName":"","lastName":"Barrios","suffix":""},{"id":509994664,"identity":"63bf1063-781e-4bec-8c36-25d1d95e6dea","order_by":2,"name":"Lucía Barbosa","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"INTEQUI (CONICET-UNSL), Universidad Nacional de San Luis","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lucía","middleName":"","lastName":"Barbosa","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-29 19:08:14","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7246255/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7246255/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":96281571,"identity":"cb679cd2-5959-46db-989d-d799f4b40b1e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-19 11:23:26","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2281786,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Oroscoetal..pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7246255/v1_covered_a3ef67c0-555d-4c7c-a531-2231d4450853.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eUpcycling of end-of-life photovoltaic panels and lithium from spent Li-ion batteries for the sustainable synthesis of lithium metasilicate\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Recycling, Lithium-ion batteries, Solar PV panels, Chemical synthesis, Lithium metasilicate","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7246255/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7246255/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eA wide range of portable electronic devices, such as laptops, mobile phones, electronic tools, and electric vehicles, utilize lithium-ion batteries as energy storage resource. However, its application is restricted by moderate electrochemical performance and the significant cost of production. As part of the strategies to enhance the electrochemical performance, lithium metasilicate (Li\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eSiO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e) has been proposed as a coating layer for the anode material. Thus, lithium diffusion and electronic conductivity are improved while preventing the expansion of the anode volume. This potential application of Li\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eSiO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e is conditioned upon the costs associated with both the process and the raw materials required for its synthesis.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study aims to develop a cost-effective synthesis route for lithium metasilicate by replacing conventional raw materials with recycled precursors; lithium chloride recovered from spent Li-ion batteries and silicon extracted from discarded photovoltaic panels. The molar ratio of LiCl to Si was assessed to determine the best conditions for the synthesis of Li\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eSiO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e. The influence of milling the time on the promotion of the formation of this metasilicate. Non-isothermal calcinations were performed throughout a temperature range of 20\u0026ndash;900\u0026deg;C to evaluate the impact of temperature on the reaction path. Furthermore, isothermal calcinations were conducted to determine the impact of time on the reaction yield. The reaction mechanism also was investigated. The results indicated that a molar ratio of LiCl to Si of 5:1 and a milling time of 24 h produce a high yield of Li\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eSiO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e. The synthesis of Li\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eSiO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e was found to initiate at 600\u0026deg;C. 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