Executive Summary : | India aims to convert 100% of its public transport to electric vehicles by 2030 and become a carbon-neutral nation by 2070. The demand for storage devices for automotive vehicles is increasing, with solid-state lithium batteries being a promising option due to their high energy densities, extended lifespan, and lower self-discharge rate. The storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries (LIB) is 350 watt per hour kg, significantly higher than conventional batteries. However, LIBs contain toxic metals like nickel, manganese, electrolytes, and binder, which pose significant environmental and ecological risks. The demand for precious metals like cobalt, nickel, and lithium is expected to increase, and the availability of metal from ore is unlikely to be met. Various methods are used for extracting metal from LIB waste, but these are energy-intensive and generate mild acidic waste and low-level concentrations of harmful gases. Bioleaching/bio-metallurgical processes can overcome these limitations, but they require many days for processing and can decay with increasing toxic metal concentrations. A green approach combining bioleaching with ultrasound and microwave can overcome these limitations and reduce costs by using fungal-based bioleaching, waste food material as a nutrient source, and organic acids. A systematic protocol of pretreatment, bioleaching, and intensification will be followed to achieve the objectives of this work. The cost-effective green technology for recovering precious metals from LIB waste will reduce India's dependency on precious metals for LIB manufacturing, and small prototype technology will boost start-ups in small cities and towns. |