Impedance spectroscopy diagnostics of spent lithium-ion batteries in recycling processes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15328/cb2025_88Keywords:
spent lithium-ion batteries, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, end-of-life diagnostics, battery triage, equivalent circuit modelAbstract
The widespread adoption of electric transportation is leading to the accumulation of spent lithium-ion batteries requiring sorting prior to recycling or reuse. Effective triage of end-of-life (EoL) batteries necessitates rapid non-destructive diagnostic methods capable of assessing the state of health at the individual cell level. This study proposes an approach to rapid diagnostics based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Using a 10S6P battery pack from an electric scooter operated under sharply continental climate conditions as an example, we demonstrate that equivalent circuit model parameters – including ohmic resistance, charge transfer resistance, and constant phase element exponents – enable the identification of intra-pack degradation heterogeneity and classification of cells according to their suitability for reuse. Analysis revealed two distinct degradation patterns: localized critical discharge attributed to battery management system malfunction, and a gradient of accelerated aging in peripheral cells due to thermocyclic stress. It was established that 80% of the cells in the investigated pack retain characteristics permitting second-life applications, while 10% exhibit signs of irreversible degradation and require immediate recycling. The results confirm the promise of impedance spectroscopy as a tool for high-throughput triage of EoL batteries within the circular economy framework.
References
1. Harper G, Sommerville R, Kendrick E et al. (2019) Nature 575:75–86. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1682-5
2. Braco E, San Martín I, Berrueta A, Sanchis P, Ursúa A (2020) J Energy Storage 32:101695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2020.101695
3. Garg A, Yun L, Gao L, Putungan DB (2020) J Clean Prod 275:124152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124152
4. Kayakool FA, Gangaja B, Nair S, Santhanagopalan D (2021) Sustain Mater Technol 28:e00262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susmat.2021.e00262
5. Cusenza MA, Guarino F, Longo S, Mistretta M, Cellura M (2019) Energy Build 186:339–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.01.032
6. Jiang Y, Jiang J, Zhang C, Zhang W, Gao Y, Li N (2018) J Clean Prod 205:754–762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.09.149
7. Wu B, Widanage WD, Yang S, Liu X (2020) Energy AI 1:100016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyai.2020.100016
8. Harper GDJ, Kendrick E, Anderson PA et al. (2023) J Phys Energy 5. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7655/acaa57
9. Shateri N et al. (2022) Batter Supercaps 5:021501. https://doi.org/10.1002/batt.202200035
10. Li L, Hou J (2018) RSC Adv 8:25325–25333. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8RA04516J
11. Withers PJ, Bouman C, Carmignato S et al. (2021) Nat Rev Methods Prim 1:18. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-021-00015-4
12. Fisher SL, Holmes DJ, Jørgensen JS et al. (2019) Meas Sci Technol 30:035401. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6501/aafcae
13. Berecibar M, Gandiaga I, Villarreal I, Omar N, Van Mierlo J, Van den Bossche P (2016) Renew Sustain Energy Rev 56:572–587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.11.042
14. Weng C, Feng X, Sun J, Peng H (2016) Appl Energy 180:360–368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.07.126
15. Honkura K, Takahashi K, Horiba T (2011) J Power Sources 196:10141–10147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2011.08.020
16. Merla Y, Wu B, Yufit V, Brandon NP, Martinez-Botas RF, Offer GJ (2016) J Power Sources 307:308–319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.12.122
17. Love CT, Virji MBV, Rocheleau RE, Swider-Lyons KE (2014) J Power Sources 266:512–519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2014.05.033
18. Oh K-Y et al. (2014) J Power Sources 267:197–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2014.05.039
19. Zhang R, Black R, Sur D et al. (2023) J Electrochem Soc 170:086502. https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/aceab2
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
