Gkousis, SpirosArias Calvo, AnaDoninger, AnnaUmlauf, ZoeSchmidt, EmilyBarsukov, Igor V.Moreira Vilar, María TeresaKatsou, Evina2026-05-112026-05-112026-05-07Gkousis, S., Arias, A., Doninger, A., Umlauf, Z., Schmidt, E., Barsukov, I.V., Moreira, M.T., Katsou, E. (2026). Reducing the environmental footprint of the battery sector: assessment of a new recycling process from a techno-economic and life cycle perspective. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 232, 108993.https://hdl.handle.net/10347/47211The rising demand for lithium-ion batteries increases the need for sustainable end-of-life pathways that recover critical materials with low environmental burden. This study assesses a novel direct recycling process for recovering battery-grade graphite from spent NCA lithium-ion cells using primary data from a continuous pilot-scale plant. A combined techno-economic and life cycle assessment is performed, supported by sensitivity analysis, scenario analysis, and Monte Carlo simulation. The process delivers low environmental impacts, with a global warming value of 4.06 kg CO2-eq per kg of graphite and achieves economic viability with a positive net present value at year ten. The minimum selling price is 9.87 €/kg when co-product revenues are included. The findings indicate that direct recycling provides an efficient and environmentally preferable route for high-quality graphite recovery. The technology can enhance circularity in battery value chains and reduce reliance on virgin resources in Europe and the United States.eng© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Direct recyclingTechno-economic assessmentLife cycle assessmentCircular economyBatteries330802 Residuos industrialesjournal article10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.1089931879-0658open access