Spent Li-Ion Battery Electrode Material with Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide as a Reusable Catalyst for Oxidation of Biofurans

The wide use of Li-ion batteries in energy storage has resulted in a new waste product stream rich in valuable metals Mn, Ni, and Co with well-known catalytic activities. In this work, a spent Li-ion battery electrode material with lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide is shown as an excellent reusable catalyst for oxidation of biomass-derived furan aldehydes and alcohols to their value-added oxidation products with applications in the sustainable polymer industry. A mechanically separated, combined cathode and anode black material from a spent DELL 1525 laptop battery was pyrolyzed in air at 600 degrees C to remove binders and electrolytes to prepare the catalyst. The SEM, XRF, and X-ray crystallography analysis of the catalyst showed the presence of C, O, Li, Ni, Co, and Mn, indicating the presence of a lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (LiNixMnyCozO2)-type cathode material in the spent Li-ion battery employed in the study. This material was shown as an efficient catalyst for the oxidation of aldehyde and alcohol functional groups in biofurans, furan-2-aldehyde, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, and 5,5'-[oxybis(methylene)]bis[2-furaldehyde], to their corresponding carboxylic acids in 82-97% yield, at 120-140 degrees C, under 1.24 MPa oxygen, and in 0.10 M aq. Na2CO3 medium.