The growing stock of spent lithium-ion batteries and the increasing demand for advanced water treatment represent two closely connected sustainability challenges. Conventional battery recycling primarily targets the recovery of lithium and transition metals as purified salts or regenerated electrode materials. These routes often dismantle or overlook the chemically complex structures retained within aged electrodes. Catalytic upcycling offers an alternative pathway by redirecting spent cathodes and anodes towards contaminant degradation, in situ oxidant production and electrochemical water treatment. Spent cathodes contain redox-active Co, Ni, Mn and Fe species, whereas spent anodes provide conductive graphite frameworks with tunable defects and surface functionalities. Electrochemical ageing may further generate lithium-deficient domains, oxygen vacancies, reconstructed interfaces and microcracks, some of which can act as a form of service-induced pre-activation. In this Mini Review, we connect these ageing-derived characteristics with the conversion and catalytic functions of representative spent electrode materials. We compare direct reuse, mild activation and phase-reconstruction strategies, and examine their applications in Fenton-like reactions, persulfate activation and electrocatalytic water treatment. We argue that catalytic activity alone is insufficient to establish sustainable upcycling. Conversion intensity, catalyst lifetime, metal release, toxicity of transformation products, and performance in realistic water matrices must also be considered. Finally, we outline opportunities for low-energy conversion, safer catalyst design, continuous-flow treatment, and data-driven optimization. This framework links battery ageing with catalytic function while defining the conditions required for environmentally credible water treatment applications.
- Open Access
- Review
From Battery Ageing to Water Treatment: Catalytic Upcycling of Spent Lithium-ion Battery Electrodes
- Miao Liu 1,2,†,
- Huizhen Jin 1,2,†,
- Han Jiang 1,†,
- Xin Shui 3,
- Binjie Hu 3,
- Xinyu Wang 3,
- Zhenzhen Feng 4,
- Xiaoming Tan 1,
- Songtao Zhu 1,2,*,
- Dayin Sun 3,*,
- Jiahui Lyu 1,5,*
Author Information
Received: 25 Aug 2026 | Revised: 16 Sep 2026 | Accepted: 21 Sep 2026 | Published: 12 Oct 2026
Abstract
Keywords
spent lithium-ion battery electrodes | catalytic upcycling | peroxymonosulfate activation | H2O2 electrosynthesis | electro-Fenton treatment
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