NATHALIE TUYA
Columbia University, PhD Earth & Environmental Engineering
EREF Scholar 2025
Enabling Li-Ion Battery Recycling through Electrochemical Mediated Leachate Production
Critical minerals, defined by the US DOE as crucial to economic and national security, are found in many of our modern technologies. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), commonly found in portable electronics and electric vehicles, contain several of these critical minerals – including lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. While LIBs have long been considered a sustainable alternative to traditional energy sources, their increased usage has led to massive amounts of LIB waste. The incorrect disposal of LIBs can be very dangerous due to their increased ignitability and reactivity. The high economic value of LIBs and issues associated with incorrect disposal highly motivate the need for nationwide recycling framework for LIBs.
Current recycling methods mainly rely on pyrometallurgy, which requires a high operating cost due to the high-temperature process used to smelt LIBs and fails to recover lithium lost in the slag. Hydrometallurgy is also common, but relies on dangerous, strong acids and costly, selective extractants to recover material of interest. Lithium recovery in this process is also limited since it is recovered last, with much of the lithium being lost in the process waste stream.
Selective lithium extraction has been proposed as a potential solution, where lithium is extracted from the cathode material prior to other treatments. Nathalie’s research focuses on lithium extraction from LIBs using an electrochemically generated leachate. This process provides the advantage of being entirely powered by electricity, making it possible to be powered by a renewable energy source. The leachate can also be regenerated electrochemically, allowing for an almost entirely circular system. Additional focus will also be placed on recovering lithium as a solid product, allowing it to be used for new cathode synthesis. The objective of this project is therefore to provide a proof-of-concept on a full recycling process focusing on lithium recovery from LIBs.
Biography
Nathalie Tuya earned her BS in Environmental Engineering from Florida International University (2017-2021) in Miami, Florida. During her time there, she worked on various research projects with NASA, the DOE, and the US Army Corps of Engineers. She is currently a final year PhD student in the Department of Earth & Environmental Engineering at Columbia University (2021-2026), where her research focuses on Li-ion battery recycling using electrochemical methods. Nathalie is passionate about environmental conservation and education, as demonstrated by her volunteer experience in park cleanups, wildlife rescues, and science-outreach programs.
