Low-carbon upcycling of lithium-ion batteries via bio-electro-plasma pathways

Turn battery waste into the batteries of the future

Electric vehicles are transforming how we move, but they leave behind a growing challenge. What happens to batteries when they reach the end of their life? Today, millions of lithium-ion batteries are heading towards recycling streams that are energy-intensive, chemically harsh, and far from circular.

This PhD project tackles that problem head-on.

You will work on a genuinely new approach to battery recycling that combines biology, electrochemistry, and advanced materials processing to turn old electric-vehicle batteries into high-performance new ones. Instead of burning or dissolving materials using aggressive chemicals, this project uses carefully engineered microbes to release valuable metals, smart electrochemical systems to separate lithium cleanly, and plasma technology to regenerate graphite anodes at low temperature.

In practical terms, you will take real end-of-life EV batteries supplied by an industrial recycling partner and transform them into fresh battery materials. You will recover lithium, nickel, and cobalt, rebuild cathode materials, regenerate graphite anodes using atmospheric-pressure plasma, and assemble new working batteries from recycled components. Few PhDs anywhere offer this full “waste-to-battery” journey.

This is a hands-on, interdisciplinary project based at the University of Surrey, with access to the Surrey Ion Beam Centre and close collaboration with industry. You will gain skills spanning chemical engineering, biotechnology, electrochemistry, plasma processing, and materials characterisation, all while working on a problem central to net-zero energy and the circular economy. This isn't just about recycling; it's about upcycling, creating value from waste while dramatically reducing carbon emissions.

If you are excited by the idea of building cleaner technologies from real industrial waste, working across disciplines, and helping shape the future of sustainable batteries, this PhD is for you.

Previous experience of working with electrochemical/bioelectrochemical systems is desirable but not essential.

Open to any UK or international candidates. Up to 30% of our UKRI funded studentships can be awarded to candidates paying international rate fees. Find out more about eligibility.