Scientists have found a way to strip valuable metals out of dead batteries using a solvent built from urine and common acetic acid, turning a waste stream into a surprisingly powerful recycling tool. The technique targets cobalt, one of the most contested ingredients in modern electronics, and early results suggest that most of it can be recovered and reused instead of being lost to landfills or energy‑hungry smelters.
By combining a bio‑based solvent with relatively low temperatures, the researchers show that it is possible to reclaim critical materials from lithium‑ion batteries with far less energy and far fewer toxic byproducts than conventional methods. If scaled, this kind of chemistry could reshape how the electric vehicle and electronics industries think about the end of a battery’s life.
Why cobalt from old batteries suddenly matters much more
Cobalt sits at the heart of the energy transition, yet it is also one of the most problematic metals in the supply chain. It stabilizes many lithium‑ion battery chemistries, helping everything from smartphones to long‑range electric cars hold more charge and last longer between plug‑ins, but mining it has been tied to harsh working conditions, geopolitical risk, and volatile prices. As electric vehicles and grid storage expand, the pressure to secure reliable cobalt supplies without multiplying those harms is only intensifying.
That urgency is not limited to cars. Cobalt is embedded across modern life, from high‑temperature turbine blades to medical implants and cutting tools, and it is especially common in portable electronics and machinery that cycle through consumers quickly. Every retired laptop, cordless drill, or electric SUV battery that ends up shredded or dumped instead of properly processed represents lost cobalt that must be replaced with freshly mined ore. That is the backdrop that makes a urine‑based solvent capable of recovering a very large share of this metal from spent cells so striking.
Inside the urine‑based solvent that unlocked the breakthrough
The core of the new method is deceptively simple: a liquid solvent built from compounds that can be derived from human urine, combined with acetic acid, the same basic ingredient that gives vinegar its bite. In laboratory tests, this mixture has been used to dissolve and separate metals from shredded lithium‑ion battery material, targeting cobalt and lithium without relying on the harsh acids or high temperatures that dominate traditional recycling. The chemistry leans on organic molecules that bind selectively to metal ions, coaxing them into solution so they can be recovered in a controlled way.
Researchers describe this solvent as both bio‑based and relatively benign, since its building blocks are already present in biological waste streams and household chemicals. Instead of feeding batteries into furnaces or bathing them in concentrated mineral acids, the process uses this tailored liquid to leach metals out of the so‑called “black mass” that remains after a battery is dismantled. Reporting on the work notes that the solvent is derived from urine and acetic acid, a combination that underscores how far clever chemistry can stretch everyday ingredients when they are tuned for a specific industrial task.
How much cobalt and lithium the process can actually recover
Novel chemistry only matters if it can deliver metals at high yield, and here the urine‑based approach appears to clear an important bar. In controlled experiments, the solvent has been able to pull out nearly all of the cobalt and lithium from the cathode material of spent lithium‑ion cells, leaving very little behind in the residue. That kind of performance is crucial, because every percentage point of recovery translates directly into fewer new mines and less waste.
Researchers at Linnaeus University describe a related solvent system, built from readily available substances and also derived from urine and acetic acid, that can recover over 97 percent of the lithium and cobalt from lithium‑ion batteries. That figure, “97 percent,” is not a marginal gain, it is the difference between recycling as a feel‑good gesture and recycling as a serious alternative to mining. When scientists involved in the urine‑based work say that “we can reuse a very significant portion of the cobalt,” they are pointing to recovery rates that approach the practical ceiling of what any industrial process can hope to achieve.
Why scientists say “we can reuse a very significant portion of the cobalt”
The phrase “we can reuse a very significant portion of the cobalt” has become a shorthand for what this research promises: a path to keep cobalt circulating in the economy instead of treating it as disposable. In interviews about the urine‑derived solvent, scientists emphasize that the process does not just extract trace amounts of metal, it recovers enough cobalt at high enough purity to feed directly back into new battery production. That is the threshold that turns recycling from waste management into a genuine supply strategy.
Coverage of the work highlights that, with more efficient and environmentally friendly methods, we can reuse a very significant portion of the cobalt that is already embedded in existing batteries, rather than relying solely on new extraction. A separate report on the same line of research, titled “Scientists Make Breakthrough Discovery While Experimenting With Urine, We Can Reuse, Very Significant Portion of the,” underscores that this is not a marginal lab curiosity but a potential cornerstone of future battery supply chains. When scientists talk in those terms, they are signaling confidence that the recovered cobalt can meet the technical and economic standards of manufacturers, not just the ideals of environmental advocates.
Energy savings and environmental gains compared with today’s recycling
Conventional battery recycling is often a brutal process. Pyrometallurgical plants burn through large amounts of energy to melt packs down, while hydrometallurgical lines rely on aggressive acids and complex neutralization steps that generate their own waste streams. Both approaches can recover valuable metals, but they do so at a cost in carbon emissions, worker safety, and local pollution that undercuts some of the climate benefits of electrification.
The urine‑derived solvent points to a different model, one that uses lower temperatures and milder chemistry to achieve similar or better recovery. Researchers at Linnaeus University report that their new method for recycling lithium‑ion batteries reduces energy needs while remaining gentle on both humans and the environment. Because the solvent is built from substances that are already common in biological and household contexts, handling risks are lower, and the process can be tuned to minimize secondary waste. In practice, that means fewer greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of cobalt recovered and a smaller chemical footprint for communities that host recycling facilities.
What this could mean for electric vehicles and grid storage
Electric vehicles are the most visible driver of battery demand, and they are also the sector where cobalt supply anxiety is most acute. A typical long‑range SUV like a Tesla Model X or a Mercedes‑Benz EQE can carry tens of kilograms of cathode material, much of it containing cobalt in chemistries such as NMC (nickel manganese cobalt). As early generations of these vehicles reach the end of their lives, the industry faces a choice: treat those packs as hazardous waste to be managed at minimum cost, or as a rich urban mine of metals that can be harvested again and again.
The urine‑based solvent strengthens the case for the second path. Reporting on the breakthrough notes that scientists working with this approach see it as a way to support EV battery recycling at scale, recovering lithium and cobalt in forms that can be fed back into new cathodes. If automakers and battery suppliers can rely on streams of high‑purity recycled cobalt, they can hedge against geopolitical shocks in mining regions and reduce the embedded emissions of each new vehicle. For grid storage projects that deploy container‑sized battery banks, the same logic applies: designing systems with end‑of‑life recovery in mind becomes a financial and environmental advantage, not just a regulatory obligation.
From lab experiment to industrial reality
Turning a clever lab experiment into a commercial plant is never straightforward, and the urine‑derived solvent is no exception. Scaling up means proving that the chemistry works not just on carefully prepared samples, but on the messy, mixed‑chemistry battery waste that real recyclers handle every day. It also means designing equipment that can circulate and regenerate the solvent efficiently, so that the process does not trade one waste stream for another or become too expensive to compete with incumbent methods.
Researchers at Linnaeus University, who have been central to developing this family of solvents, frame their work as a step toward industrial adoption rather than a finished product. Their new method for recycling lithium‑ion batteries is described as using a liquid solvent made of readily available substances, which is a crucial detail for any company considering investment. Readily available inputs keep costs predictable and reduce supply risk, while the ability to recover over 97 percent of key metals gives operators a clear revenue story. The remaining challenges are engineering problems: building plants that can handle large volumes, integrating with existing collection networks, and meeting the strict quality demands of battery manufacturers.
Why a bio‑based solvent changes the politics of critical minerals
Cobalt has become a flashpoint in debates over the ethics of the energy transition, in part because so much of it is mined in regions where labor protections and environmental oversight are weak. Any technology that can reduce the need for new extraction, especially one that relies on bio‑based inputs instead of additional mining, has implications far beyond the lab. It offers policymakers a way to talk about electric vehicles and renewable storage not just as climate tools, but as levers to clean up global supply chains.
The symbolism of using a solvent derived from urine is hard to miss. It suggests that some of the most intractable problems in critical minerals might be addressed not only by new mines or geopolitical deals, but by rethinking waste itself as a resource. When scientists involved in the work, such as those highlighted in reports from Feb that describe how Nov and other researchers approached the problem, talk about reusing a very significant portion of the cobalt, they are effectively arguing for a circular economy in metals. In that vision, the batteries that power today’s cars and phones become the feedstock for tomorrow’s, and the line between waste and resource starts to blur.
What comes next for cobalt recycling innovation
The urine‑based solvent is unlikely to be the last word in cobalt recovery, but it sets a new benchmark for what is possible when chemists design processes around sustainability from the start. Future work will likely focus on broadening the range of battery chemistries the solvent can handle, improving the speed of metal extraction, and integrating the method with mechanical pre‑processing steps that safely dismantle packs. There is also room to explore how similar bio‑derived solvents might target other critical elements, such as nickel or manganese, which are just as important for high‑performance batteries.
For now, the key takeaway is that a combination of biological insight and industrial pragmatism has produced a tool that can reclaim most of the cobalt locked inside used lithium‑ion cells. As electric vehicles, portable electronics, and grid storage continue to proliferate, that capability will only grow more valuable. If industry and policymakers choose to back it with the right investments and regulations, the humble chemistry of urine and acetic acid could help close the loop on one of the most contentious materials in the clean energy economy.
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