• A green organic acid reagent scheme (MSA and CA) effectively leaches Co and Li from spent LiCoO2 cathodes, achieving up to 92% Co and 85% Li extraction under optimized conditions.
• The leaching process is chemical reaction-controlled with activation energies around 50 kJ/mol for both Co and Li, as confirmed by Avrami equation fitting.
• Cobalt is efficiently recovered from the leachate via oxalic acid precipitation, yielding 99.91% precipitation efficiency and high-purity cobalt oxalate (99.85 wt.%).
• This environmentally friendly hydrometallurgical approach offers a sustainable alternative to conventional inorganic acid leaching, reducing environmental impact while maintaining high metal recovery.