From Waste to Value: Recycled Li-ion Battery Cathode Catalyzes the Transformation of Sunset Yellow into Functional Aromatics

From Waste to Value: Recycled Li-ion Battery Cathode Catalyzes the Transformation of Sunset Yellow into Functional Aromatics | 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 From Waste to Value: Recycled Li-ion Battery Cathode Catalyzes the Transformation of Sunset Yellow into Functional Aromatics Letícia T. Lima, Eric M. Garcia, Hosane A. Taroco, Julio O. F Melo, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7065165/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 18 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study demonstrates, for the first time, the oxidative transformation of Sunset Yellow (SY) by a recycled Li-ion battery cathode material (SLBCP) rich in LiMn₂O₄ under mild acidic conditions (pH 1.5). The SLBCP catalysed the cleavage of the azo bond (–N = N–) in SY (50 mg·L⁻¹), yielding sulfanilic acid (SA) and 1-amino-2-naphthol-6-sulfonic acid (ANSA) as stable aromatic products, as confirmed by UV–Vis absorption and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy. Kinetic analyses revealed that the decolourisation follows apparent first-order kinetics, with a calculated activation energy of 50 kJ·mol⁻¹, consistent with a surface-controlled Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism. XRD confirmed the formation of a Li₀.₂Mn₂O₄ phase after reaction, reflecting delithiation and surface restructuring. Cyclic voltammetry highlighted the role of Mn⁴⁺ sites in SY oxidation, with a progressive reduction peak current decay stabilizing at ~ 0.12 mA·cm⁻² after 50 min. COD analyses indicated selective bond cleavage without significant mineralisation, preserving the organic load. The findings showcase a low-energy, waste-to-value pathway, coupling battery cathode recycling with the generation of functional dye degradation products, and demonstrate the potential of SLBCP for selective oxidation processes. Li-ion battery recycling glucose sensor cooper Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 22 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 22 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 22 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 19 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 13 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 12 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 28 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Aug, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 10 Aug, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 09 Jul, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 09 Jul, 2025 First submitted to journal 07 Jul, 2025 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-7065165","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":500685223,"identity":"aed90ab3-267e-4ee2-b46a-cdcad1faddbf","order_by":0,"name":"Letícia T. Lima","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"UFSJ","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Letícia","middleName":"T.","lastName":"Lima","suffix":""},{"id":500685225,"identity":"5fe8872b-46b4-49a3-8076-24e630129b6d","order_by":1,"name":"Eric M. Garcia","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAxklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACxgaGDwxyIIpBgoHhAHFaGGcwGJOkhYGBmQeoBQSI08Ivfbjxs22bgT1zA/PB2zwMd/IJapHsS2yWzm0zSGxsYEu25mF4ZtlASIvBGcY25ty2PwmMDTxm0jwMhw0I2mIP0mIJdBhjA/834rQY8AC1MLYZMDY28LARp0XiDGOzZM85oF+a2Ywt5xg8I6yFv4f94YcfZQb2hu3ND2+8qbhDWAscGDaD3Um8BgYGeVIUj4JRMApGwcgCAGzvNGrD7o9pAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"UFSJ","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Eric","middleName":"M.","lastName":"Garcia","suffix":""},{"id":500685228,"identity":"475e622d-6bc5-44eb-b126-a457e78d26c8","order_by":2,"name":"Hosane A. Taroco","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"UFSJ","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hosane","middleName":"A.","lastName":"Taroco","suffix":""},{"id":500685230,"identity":"6d0a68ec-ea76-4d4c-970d-a0eae103f8ae","order_by":3,"name":"Julio O. F Melo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"UFSJ","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Julio","middleName":"O. F","lastName":"Melo","suffix":""},{"id":500685232,"identity":"b1a605f9-7c9f-48ee-969e-2e5062d33b18","order_by":4,"name":"Cristiane G. Taroco","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"UFSJ","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Cristiane","middleName":"G.","lastName":"Taroco","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-07 11:53:41","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7065165/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7065165/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"From Waste to Value: Recycled Li-ion Battery Cathode Catalyzes the Transformation of Sunset Yellow into Functional Aromatics","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":false,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"ionics","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":" Learn more about [Ionics](https://www.springer.com/journal/11581) ","snPcode":"11581","submissionUrl":"https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ionics","title":"Ionics","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Li-ion battery, recycling, glucose sensor, cooper","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7065165/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7065165/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study demonstrates, for the first time, the oxidative transformation of Sunset Yellow (SY) by a recycled Li-ion battery cathode material (SLBCP) rich in LiMn₂O₄ under mild acidic conditions (pH 1.5). The SLBCP catalysed the cleavage of the azo bond (–N = N–) in SY (50 mg·L⁻¹), yielding sulfanilic acid (SA) and 1-amino-2-naphthol-6-sulfonic acid (ANSA) as stable aromatic products, as confirmed by UV–Vis absorption and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy. Kinetic analyses revealed that the decolourisation follows apparent first-order kinetics, with a calculated activation energy of 50 kJ·mol⁻¹, consistent with a surface-controlled Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism. XRD confirmed the formation of a Li₀.₂Mn₂O₄ phase after reaction, reflecting delithiation and surface restructuring. Cyclic voltammetry highlighted the role of Mn⁴⁺ sites in SY oxidation, with a progressive reduction peak current decay stabilizing at ~ 0.12 mA·cm⁻² after 50 min. COD analyses indicated selective bond cleavage without significant mineralisation, preserving the organic load. The findings showcase a low-energy, waste-to-value pathway, coupling battery cathode recycling with the generation of functional dye degradation products, and demonstrate the potential of SLBCP for selective oxidation processes.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"From Waste to Value: Recycled Li-ion Battery Cathode Catalyzes the Transformation of Sunset Yellow into Functional Aromatics","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-08-18 19:50:45","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7065165/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-09-22T19:29:07+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-09-22T15:00:43+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-09-22T10:19:03+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-09-19T22:50:21+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-09-13T14:26:14+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"265403065945706535375713200844615771299","date":"2025-09-12T13:06:16+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"61384387087801758190303758341285223164","date":"2025-09-10T06:59:36+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"181278225879075542529470067906283070185","date":"2025-09-10T01:08:03+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-08-28T09:19:07+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"253502946942000136117016075895952846777","date":"2025-08-26T00:38:32+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"197498364641960040908388724917991349257","date":"2025-08-18T11:09:34+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"202615581599273183903951054713363701415","date":"2025-08-14T17:56:35+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"256071716776601750499141369249198928695","date":"2025-08-13T10:58:01+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"231303305856102559239541944867995758846","date":"2025-08-11T08:06:04+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-08-11T03:00:49+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-07-09T09:40:23+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-07-09T09:38:35+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Ionics","date":"2025-07-07T11:51:29+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"ionics","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":" Learn more about [Ionics](https://www.springer.com/journal/11581) ","snPcode":"11581","submissionUrl":"https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ionics","title":"Ionics","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"31f8a775-2d55-47f2-a956-bd1d83d9593e","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 18th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-23T14:38:33+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-08-18 19:50:45","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7065165","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7065165","identity":"rs-7065165","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}