Electrochemical impurity removal from spent ternary lithium battery graphite anodes and their performance study

• An innovative electrochemical treatment after mild acid leaching achieves deep removal of metal impurities from spent graphite anodes, reducing major metal content below 20 mg/kg. • The recovered graphite exhibits excellent electrochemical performance: 358.7 mAh/g discharge capacity at 0.1 C and 95.85% capacity retention after 150 cycles. • Organic impurities are found to severely degrade electrochemical performance, while trace inorganic impurities mainly affect cycling stability. • The method offers a low-acid, reagent-free, and energy-efficient alternative to conventional recycling, addressing key challenges in spent graphite recovery.