Engineering a closed-loop electrochemical pathway for cadmium recovery and aqueous battery reutilization
- 1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117575, Singapore.
- 2Pillar of Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore 487372, Singapore.
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) waste is an unavoidable toxic by-product of zinc processing, but its electrochemical reutilization remains limited by the lack of routes that couple selective recovery with stable metal-anode operation. Here, we report a closed-loop electrochemical strategy that transforms model Cd-containing waste electrolytes into regenerable aqueous Cd metal anodes. A three-step potential-programmed electrodeposition process selectively recovers Cd while constructing compact Cd(002)-textured electrodes with tunable areal capacity. To preserve this recovered structure during cycling, cesium iodide is introduced to reconstruct the Cd-electrolyte interface, enabling iodide-dominated and cesium-assisted regulation of desolvation, ion flux, corrosion, and Cd growth. The resulting Cd anode achieves 99.98% average Coulombic efficiency and stable high-rate plating/stripping. Cd||I₂ coin and pouch cells validate full-cell operation under high loading and reduced excess Cd. Failed Cd anodes can be reextracted, regenerated, and reused, completing a recovery-operation-regeneration loop.
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BibTeX
@article{wang2026engineering,
title = {{Engineering a closed-loop electrochemical pathway for cadmium recovery and aqueous battery reutilization}},
author = {Yue Wang and Nan Zhao and Haobin Song and Yangfeng Cui and Hui Ying Yang},
journal = {Science Advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aek6073},
url = {https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/sciadv.aek6073},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Engineering a closed-loop electrochemical pathway for cadmium recovery and aqueous battery reutilization
AU - Yue Wang
AU - Nan Zhao
AU - Haobin Song
AU - Yangfeng Cui
AU - Hui Ying Yang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Science Advances
DO - 10.1126/sciadv.aek6073
UR - https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/sciadv.aek6073
AB - Cadmium (Cd) waste is an unavoidable toxic by-product of zinc processing, but its electrochemical reutilization remains limited by the lack of routes that couple selective recovery with stable metal-anode operation. Here, we report a closed-loop electrochemical strategy that transforms model Cd-containing waste electrolytes into regenerable aqueous Cd metal anodes. A three-step potential-programmed electrodeposition process selectively recovers Cd while constructing compact Cd(002)-textured electrodes with tunable areal capacity. To preserve this recovered structure during cycling, cesium iodide is introduced to reconstruct the Cd-electrolyte interface, enabling iodide-dominated and cesium-assisted regulation of desolvation, ion flux, corrosion, and Cd growth. The resulting Cd anode achieves 99.98% average Coulombic efficiency and stable high-rate plating/stripping. Cd||I₂ coin and pouch cells validate full-cell operation under high loading and reduced excess Cd. Failed Cd anodes can be reextracted, regenerated, and reused, completing a recovery-operation-regeneration loop.
SN - 2375-2548
ER -