The
rapid development of the electric vehicle industry has spurred
the prosperity of the lithium ion battery market, but the subsequent
huge number of spent lithium ion batteries (SLIBs) may bring severe
environmental problems. Because of the advantages of low raw material
requirements and little waste liquid production, pyrometallurgical
technology is suitable for recycling SLIBs in large-scale industrial
applications. After decades of research, the practice of pyrometallurgical
technology in related fields has developed a lot. There are three
essential components of SLIBs, namely, binders and electrolytes, cathode,
and anode. This article summarizes the development of pyrometallurgical
technologies in dealing with these three parts and analyzes the strengths
as well as weaknesses of each technology. Moreover, it reveals the
evolution and the challenges of pyrometallurgical technology in recycling
SLIBs. A high-value utilization with the characteristics of an overall
resource utilization of waste batteries is a promising development
direction for pyrometallurgical technology.