DOI: https://doi.org/10.61435/ijred.2025.60829

Valorization of coal fly ash for the synthesis of lithium nickel-cobalt-aluminum-iron oxide (NCAF) cathode material

1Chemical Engineering Department, Vocational School, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia

2Centre of Excellence for Electrical Energy Storage Technology, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia

3Pertamina Technology Innovation, PT. Pertamina, Pulogadung, Jakarta, Indonesia

4 Centre of Excellence for Electrical Energy Storage Technology, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta, Central Java, Japan

5 Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan

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Received: 10 Nov 2024; Revised: 6 Jan 2025; Accepted: 26 Jan 2025; Available online: 4 Feb 2025; Published: 1 Mar 2025.
Editor(s): H Hadiyanto
Open Access Copyright (c) 2025 The Author(s). Published by Centre of Biomass and Renewable Energy (CBIORE)
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

This study demonstrates a novel approach to high-performance cathode materials by utilizing coal fly ash as a source of Al and Fe dopants for nickel-rich layered oxides. LiNixCoyAlzFe(1-x-y-z)O2 (NCAF) materials were synthesized through a combined hydrometallurgical-solid state route, incorporating fly-ash waste-derived Al/Fe hydroxides (AFH) at various concentrations during the lithiation process. The characteristics of NCAF precursors, AFH and Ni0.8Co0.2C2O4, were thoroughly investigated. Structural analysis confirms the successful formation of single-phase materials with α-NaFeO2 structure (R-3m) up to 5% AFH content, exhibiting changes in the level of order, lattice parameters, and unit cell volume. Surface area characteristics show a transition from 38.747 m²/g to 6.52 m²/g with increasing AFH content, approaching the ideal surface area. The compositional evolution from LiNi0.8Co0.2O2 to LiNi0.66Co0.16Al0.08Fe0.10O2 maintains uniform atomic distribution. In the full-cell configuration with graphite anodes (N/P ratio: 1.2-1.3), NCAF with 5% AFH demonstrates enhanced electrochemical performance (~155 mAh/g), attributed to synergistic effects of Al-induced structural stabilization and Fe-contributed redox activity. This approach establishes a pathway for simple and low-cost battery material development while addressing industrial waste utilization.

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Keywords: Fly ash; Cathode; Characterization; Li-ion battery; Nickel; Waste
Funding: Universitas Sebelas Maret

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Section: Original Research Article
Language : EN
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