In-situ enhanced catalytic reforming behavior of cobalt-based materials with inherent zero-valent aluminum in spent lithium ion batteries.

As a renewable energy source, hydrogen production from biomass pyrolysis is one of the effective ways to promote global sustainable development. Herein, the inherent Al foils and typical LiCoO 2 cathodes in spent lithium ion batteries are jointly employed as the catalyst to reform sawdust pyrolysis gas to produce hydrogen-rich synthesis gas. It is the introduction of Al element that triggers the in-situ atomic replacement reaction to immobilize volatile lithium, thereby inducing the formation of a similar Li-CO 2 battery system, which efficiently converts CO 2 into CO. Furthermore, a new adsorption-enhanced in-situ-assembled porous structure has been discovered and proved to obtain ~95% surface vacancy oxygen content and various hydrogen evolution sites. Eventually, the yields and volume fractions of H 2 are 11.31 mmol/g and 65.79%, respectively, and the purity of syngas (H 2 +CO) reaches 91.82%, which verify its excellent performance in hydrogen reforming and CO 2 conversion. In the pyrolysis of spent Lithium-ion batteries, the inherent Al foils and LiCoO 2 undergo an atomic substitution reaction, and spontaneously form a sorption-enhanced catalytic materials, which consists of Co nanoflowers and LiAlO 2 @CoO nanoporous network. The LiAlO 2 @CoO nanoporous network can not only pre-adsorb the hydrogen-containing functional groups, but also disperse the Co nanoflowers, further enhancing the hydrogen evolution behavior of the newborn nano-transition metal. Therefore, this in-situ surface engineering makes an important contribution to the preparation of H 2 -rich syngas. [Display omitted] • Al foils and LiCoO 2 cathodes are employed to reform sawdust pyrolysis gas. • A new adsorption-enhanced in-situ-assembled porous structure is discovered. • Volatile Li is fixed to form a similar Li-CO 2 battery to convert CO 2 to CO. • The volume fractions of H 2 and syngas are 65.79% and 91.82%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]