Table 1 A summary of recent bioleaching studies on the recovery of valuable metals from WLIBs
From: Advances in bioleaching of waste lithium batteries under metal ion stress
Microbe | LIB waste type | Recovery yield | Initial pH | Culture medium | Spent LIBs Pulp Density | Temperature | Method | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Single species bacterium | ||||||||
 A. niger (PTCC 5010) | cathode and anode powder | Li 100%, Co 38%, Cu 94%, Mn 72%, Ni 45% | 2.5 | Sucrose medium | 1.0 (w/v) | 30 °C | One-step bioleaching | Bahaloo-Horeh et al. (2018) |
 A. niger (PTCC 5210) | Cathodes and anodes powder | Co 64%, Ni 54% | 5.44 | Sucrose medium | 1% (w/v) | 30 °C | Spent-medium bioleaching | Bahaloo-Horeh et al. (2017) |
 A. niger | Cathodes and anodes powder | Li 100%, Cu 100%, Mn 77%, Al 75% | 5.44 | Sucrose medium | 2% (w/v) | 30 °C | Spent-medium bioleaching | Bahaloo-Horeh et al. (2017) |
 A. niger (isolated) | Spent Li-ion Battery Powder | Li 100% Co 82% | 2.4 | Sucrose medium | 0.25% (w/v) | 30 °C | One-step bioleaching | Biswal et al. (2018) |
 A. niger (PTCC 5210) | Cathodes and anodes powder | Li 95%, Co 45%, Cu 100%, Mn 70%, Ni 38% | 6 | Sucrose medium | 1.0 (w/v) | 30 °C | Spent-medium bioleaching | Horeh et al. (2016) |
 Penicillium citrinum | Spent coin cells (SCCs) powder | Mn 53%, Li 70% | 6 | 3.9% (w/v) PDA medium | 20 g/L | 30 °C | One-step bioleaching | Naseri et al., (2022) |
 A. ferrooxidans (ATCC19859) | Cathode waste materials of LIBs | 0.5% Li 9%, Co 65% | 2.5 | 9 k medium + S power + Fe2+ ion 3 g/L | 0.5% (w/v) | 30 °C | One-step bioleaching | Mishra et al (2008) |
 A.s thiooxidans (PTCC1717) | Anodes and cathodes powder | Li 99%, Co 60%, Ni 20% (3% w/v) | 2.0 | 9 k Medium + S powder 5 g/L | 1.0–5.0% (w/v) | 30 °C | two-step bioleaching | Naseri et al.,(2019b) |
 A. ferrooxidans (PTCC1647) | Anodes and cathodes powder | Li 100%, Co 88%, Mn 20% (4% S/L) | 2.0 | 9 K medium + FeSO4∙7 H2O 44.2 g/L | 1.0–10% (w/v) | 30 °C | Two-step bioleaching | Naseri et al., (2019a) |
 A. thiooxidans | spent coin cells powder | Li 99% | 2 | 9 K medium + FeSO4∙7H2O (44.2 g/L) | 30 (g/L) | 30 °C | Two-step bioleaching | Naseri et al. (2019a) |
 A. thiooxidans (80,191) | Spent Li-ion Battery Powder | Li 22%, Co 66% | 3.3 and 2.4 | Basel 317 + S power 1% | 0.25% (w/v) | 30 °C | One-step bioleaching | Biswal et al. (2018) |
 A. ferrooxidans (DSMZ 1927) | Electrodes powder | Co 82% Li 89%, Mn 92%, Ni 90% | 2.0 | Modified 9 K medium + FeSO4∙7H2O 150 g/L | 10% (w/v) | 30 °C | Two-step bioleaching | |
 A. ferrooxidans (isolated) | LiNixCoyMn1-x-yO2 | Li 31%,Mn 42%,Co 23%, Ni 23% | 1.0 | Single basic medium + S powder 16 g/L + pyrite 16 g/L | 1.0% (w/v) | 30 °C | One-step bioleaching | Xin et al., (2016) |
 A. thiooxidans (isolated) | LiNixCoyMn1-x-yO2 | Li 85%,Mn 19%,Co 10%, Ni 10% | 1.0 | Basic medium + S powder 16 g/L + pyrite 16 g/L | 1.0% (w/v) | 30 °C | One-step bioleaching | Xin et al., (2016) |
 A. ferrooxidans | LiCoO2 powder | 99.9% Co after 6 days | 2.0 | Modified 9 K medium + FeSO4∙7H2O 44.8 g/L + Copper 0.75 g/L | 1% (w/v) | 35 °C | One-step bioleaching | Zeng et al. (2012) |
 A. ferrooxidans | Cathode material powder | 98.4% Co | 2.0 | 9 K medium + FeSO4∙7H2O 444.8 g/L | 1% (w/v) | 35 °C | Two-step bioleaching | Zeng et al. (2013) |
Bacterial consortia | ||||||||
 A. thiooxidans, L. ferriphilum and A. ferrooxidans | cathodes LiNixCoyMn1-x-yO2 powder | Li 100%, Ni 42%, Co 40%, Mn 40% | 1.0 | A mineral salt medium with sulfur (1.0% w/v) + FeSO4∙7H2O 20 g/L | 4% (w/v) | 30 °C | Two-step bioleaching | |
 A. ferrooxidans and A. thiooxidans | Cathode powder from laptop LIB | Li 60%, Co 53.2%, Ni 48.7%, Mn 81.8%, Cu 74,4% | 1.8 | Basal salts medium (pH 1.8) with both110 g/L soluble FeSO4·7H2O and 5 g/L sterile S powder | 10% (w/v) | 22 °C | Spent-medium bioleaching | Boxall et al. (2018a) |
 Locally isolated bacterial strains | cathode (LiCoO2) powder | Li 62.83% | 7 | 3 g/l of meat extract, 5 g/l of peptone and 5 g/l of NaCl | 2 (mg/mL) | 30 °C | One-step bioleaching | Hartono et al.(2017) |
 A. ferrooxidans (PTCC1647) and A. thiooxidans (PTCC1717) | Electrodes | Li 99.2%, Co 50.4%, Ni 89.4% | 1.5 | Modified 9 k medium + S powder 5 g/L + FeSO4 ∙7H2O 36.7 g/L | 4.0% (w/v) | 32 °C | Two-step Bioleaching | Heydarian et al (2018) |
 Acidophilic Microbial Consortia | LiCoO2 powder | Li 98.1%, Co 96.3% | 1.25 |  | 5% (w/v) | 42 °C | Two-step bioleaching | |
 A. ferrooxidans and A. thiooxidans | Cathode powder | Li 80%, Co 67% | 1.5 | K2HPO4 0.1 g/L, (NH4)2SO4 2.0 g/L, KCl 0.1 g/L, MgSO4∙7H2O 4.0 g/L, FeSO4∙7H2O 44.2 g/L, S powder 4 g/l | 1% (w/v) | 30 °C | One-step bioleaching | Marcincakova et al. (2016) |
 Alicyclobacillus spp. and Sulfobacillus spp. | Electrodes powder | 89% Li, 72% Co | 1.0 | Basic medium + S powder 16 g/L + pyrite 16 g/L | 2% (w/v) | 35 °C | Two-step bioleaching | Niu et al., (2014) |
 Mixed culture of sulfur-oxidizing and iron-oxidizing bacteria | Electrodes powder | Co 90%, Li 80% | 1.0 | 9 K medium + S + FeS2 | 1% (w/v) | 30 °C | Two-step bioleaching | Xin et al. (2009) |
 A. ferrooxidans (isolated) and A. thiooxidans (isolated) | LiNixCoyMn1-x-yO2, LiMn2O4 and LiFePO4 | Li 98%, Ni 97%, Co 96%, Mn 90% | 1.5 | Basic medium + S powder 16 g/L + pyrite 16 g/L (1:1 ratio) | 1.0% (w/v) | 30 °C | One-step bioleaching | Xin et al. (2016) |
 A. caldus and Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans | spent LiCoO2 batteries powders | 99% of Co and 100% of Li | 2.5 | Modified 9 K + S powder 10 g/L + 6 g/L Fe2+ | 20 g/L | 30 °C | Two-step bioleaching | Liao et al. (2022) |