Conventional Heating Process Research Articles

Using electromagnetic radiation for producing reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) Mixtures: Mechanical, induced heating, and sustainability assessments

This research investigates feasibility of using electromagnetic-based method to produce reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) mixtures. The conventional heating process in dryers of asphalt plants considerably over ages and diminishes mechanical properties of high RAP asphalt mixtures. In addition, the RAP asphalt plants (i.e., parallel flow, counter flow, and double barrel) have critical drawbacks in producing high RAP asphalt mixtures, such as partial activation of asphalt binder in RAP, non-uniform diffusion between virgin binder-rejuvenator-RAP binder, over aging of RAP aggregates, and high fossil fuels consumption, leading to mechanical, environmental, and economic consequences. Recently, the electromagnetic-based approaches (e.g., microwave radiation) were utilized in pavement industry for the diverse applications, including micro-crack healing and de-icing purposes. In this study, the capability of microwave for heating and preparing RAP mixture, containing different WEO amounts as rejuvenator, was investigated. The fracture properties at intermediate and low temperatures and moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixtures comprised of 80 and 100% RAP prepared using electromagnetic radiation were determined and compared against the mixtures made of traditional draft oven. Besides, effect of different WEO contents, as rejuvenator, were investigated. According to the results, heating of RAP aggregates using electromagnetic radiation as well as addition of WEO can remarkably enhance cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures. Moreover, the sustainability aspects of the suggested approach to prepare the RAP mixtures were compared against the conventional method considering energy consumption, equivalent CO2 emission, and cost values. The gray rational analysis (GRA) was conducted to rank the mixtures according to mechanical and sustainability aspects. The results reveal that utilization of electromagnetic radiation in producing high RAP asphalt mixtures can substantially improve sustainability aspects of RAP asphalt mixture.

Shelf Life Extension of Functional Enriched Sugarcane Juice using Ohmic Heating

The present study investigates the development of functional enriched sugarcane juice processed through ohmic heating. Currently, ready to drink functional enriched sugarcane juice with extended shelf life is not available in markets. As conventional heat processing methods reduce the taste, color, and flavor of juices, functional enriched sugarcane juice blended with amla and lemon juice extracts was developed with extended shelf life processed with minimal heat treatment by utilizing ohmic heating - a novel food processing technology. Ohmic Heating (OH) is an alternative thermal treatment as it causes volumetric heating of the sample with a short processing time and it causes minimum discoloration and maintains the nutritive value of the food. The preliminary trials were carried out to optimize the levels of sugarcane juice, amla juice and lemon juice for acceptable sensory attributes on 9 point hedonic scale. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to determine the combinations of the experiment. The independent variables considered were sugarcane juice, amla juice and lemon juice. The responses considered were sensory Volume xxx | Issue xxxx | 2 attributes such as color, flavor, taste and overall acceptability. The optimum levels of sugarcane juice, amla juice and lemon juice were 91.998 mL, 4.720 mL, and 3.282 mL, respectively. The optimum levels were blended for the development of functionally enriched sugarcane juice. The standardized juice was processed using ohmic heating with two different treatments, viz., 50 °C (T1) and 60 °C (T2), for 3 minutes at 25 V/cm. The processed juice was collected in sterile glass bottles and stored at 5 ˚C for conducting storage studies at regular intervals. Microbial and sensory parameters of the untreated, control (pasteurized), and ohmic heated juice were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). No significant difference (p>0.05) was observed in sensory immediately after ohmic processing when compared to control samples but showed a highly significant difference (p<0.01) in sensory during the storage period. There was a high significant difference (p<0.01) in the total plate count of ohmic heated samples compared to control and during the storage period. No coliform was found in all ohmic heated and control samples. Yeast and mold were present in the untreated sample, but after ohmic heating, no growth was observed. Hence highest microbial reduction was observed in ohmic heating treatment T2 than T1 and control, and the shelf life also extended up to 4 weeks

Recovery of Y and Eu from waste CRT phosphor using closed-vessel microwave leaching

• Closed-vessel microwave is effective for Y and Eu leaching from CRT phosphor. • It is energy-efficient with total energy requirement of 456.7 kJ (217 W) within 30 min. • 86.67% of Y and 100% of Eu were leached out using 2 M of H 2 SO 4 at 125 °C. • The recovery efficiency was 96.9% for Y and 86.6% for Eu as (Y 0.95 Eu 0.05 ) 2 O 3. Yttrium (Y) and europium (Eu) are critical rare earth elements (REEs) due to their high supply risk and importance for clean energy technologies. Their presence in electronic waste (e-waste) provides great potential of recovery and reuse. This study focused on recovery process of Y and Eu from waste cathode ray tube (CRT) phosphor using closed-vessel microwave leaching, followed by precipitation by oxalic acid and calcination. The effects of acid concentration and energy efficiency of closed-vessel microwave leaching were investigated. Leaching efficiency of Y and Eu was 86.67% and 100%, respectively, at the optimum operation conditions (10 g/L of solid concentration, 2 mol·L −1 of H 2 SO 4 solution, 125 °C, 30 min of leaching time). When comparing with conventional heating process, closed-vessel microwave leaching process proved to be rapid, effective and efficient for Y and Eu recovery from waste CRT phosphor. Oxalic acid precipitation and calcination recovered 96.9 ± 0.26% of Y and 86.6 ± 0.76% of Eu as the crystallized product of (Y 0.95 Eu 0.05 ) 2 O 3 .

Catalytic Oadsorbed + Oadsorbed = O2,gas desorption from c(2X2)-O and p(5X5)-O phases on single crystal Pd(1 0 0) surface: Observing the unseen using femtosecond laser spectroscopy

Conventional thermal activation-based methods (such as temperature programmed desorption measurements) can monitor recombinative Oadsorbed + Oadsorbed = O2,gas desorption only from the (√5X√5)R27O-O and p(2x2)-O phases on the single crystal Pd(100) surface. Both the c(2X2)-O and p(5X5)-O phases remain silent in this overall thermally activated recombinative desorption process. With the help of femtosecond laser excitation, for the first time, we demonstrate that both c(2X2)-O and p(5X5)-O phases can be made active for the recombinative Oadsorbed + Oadsorbed = O2,gas desorption. Thus, femtosecond laser excitation opens door to the investigation of the surface chemical reactions which otherwise cannot be probed with the help of conventional thermal heating process. Finally, ultrafast dynamics of the recombinative Oadsorbed + Oadsorbed = O2,gas desorption from the c(2X2)-O and p(5X5)-O phases is presented.

Potassium Humate Carbon Derived from Chlorination Roast Quenching of Municipal Sludge for High-performance Supercapacitor Electrodes

• A new method for preparation of HA-K by alkali quenching of sludge was proposed. • Chlorination roasting and quenching can control the pore structure of carbon. • The specific capacitance of the prepared N, O porous carbon is 395F g −1. • This study provides a new idea for the harmless and resource utilization of sludge. Municipal sludge (MS) pyrolysis is often used to produce carbon materials for supercapacitors, however, the conventional heating process limits the improvement of its performance. In this paper, a facile method for the preparation of potassium humate (HA-K) by co-pyrolysis of MS and alkali was proposed for the first time, and then it was mixed with sodium chloride for roasting and quenching to obtain high performance HA-K carbon materials for supercapacitors. Compared with the electrode without chlorination roast quenching, the sample of HA-K-650-M−Q (the sample calcined at 650°C and quenched at 200°C) exhibited higher specific capacitance (395F g −1 at 1 A g −1 ) and enhanced energy density (32.28 Wh kg −1 at a power density of 2805 W kg −1 ). After 10,000 cycles at 10 A g −1 , the capacitance retention rate reached 87%. This remarkable performance is due to its proper N- and O- self-doping and hierarchical porous geometry, which fundamentally promotes mass and charge transfer in the reaction. Therefore, this study provides a feasible method to solve the problem of sludge value-added and design suitable for the practical application of carbon materials.

Design, fabrication, and validation of ohmic heater to process green mussel meat

A lab-scale ohmic heater was designed and fabricated using stainless steel cylindroconical process chamber with one litre holding capacity fixed with a pair of titanium electrodes in the process chamber. The ohmic heater was validated by processing green mussel meat (Perna viridis) by varying voltage and duration of the heating process. Different voltages viz. 100 V and 120 V were attempted for process duration of 5 and 10 min. The processed mussel meat was tested for physical (cook loss), proximate (moisture, protein, fat, and ash), microbial (total plate count), and organoleptic (overall acceptability) quality to understand the effectiveness of ohmic heating to make the product safe for consumption. Based on the trial undertaken with mussel meat, ohmic heating at 120 voltage for 5 min was found suitable to process green mussel meat in terms of above mentioned quality attributes. Ohmic heater designed in this study could be an effective alternative to the conventional heating process in seafood processing. Practical applications The conventional cooking methods such as steaming and boiling would lead to heterogeneous heating due to low rate of heat penetration which results in a reduction of yield whereas ohmic heating is reported to retain the nutrients without much loss. In this study, the ohmic heater was fabricated and validated for its potential for cooking green mussel meat. This study will support seafood industries to adopt ohmic heating for the thermal processing of seafood for better retention of valuable nutrients.

Comparative evaluation of conventional and microwave assisted epoxidation of soybean oil with citric acid, acetic acid using homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis

Epoxidized soybean oil was produced in this study by in situ generated peroxycitric with citric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Different production techniques were applied, namely conventional heating epoxidation and microwave-assisted epoxidation, using the Prileschajew method. Three different processes were studied in the conventional heating process: homogeneous catalysis with sulfuric acid, heterogeneous catalysis with Amberlite IR-120, and a process with no catalyst. Compared to acetic acid, citric acid is less toxic, safer for the epoxidation process, and does not require a strong acid catalyst for the reaction to occur, although oxirane oxygen content is higher when acetic acid is used as the oxygen carrier. Thermal runaway risks can be reduced by replacing acetic acid with citric acid since the latter is less volatile and more susceptible to steric hindrance. Citric acid is more acid than acetic acid, evidenced by a lower pKa, and then tends to favor ring-opening reactions once the epoxy group is produced. In the microwave heating process, epoxidation using both acetic acid and citric acid was studied. Microwave-assisted epoxidation allowed a decrease in reaction time from 2 h to 15 min when citric acid epoxidation was performed with similar resulting oxirane oxygen contents. In epoxidation with acetic acid, time was reduced from 2.3 h to 10 min in homogeneous catalysis with sulfuric acid and from 5 h to 25 min in heterogeneous catalysis with Amberlite IR-120.

Plasmon-enhanced alcohol oxidations over porous carbon nanosphere-supported palladium and gold bimetallic nanocatalyst

Plasmonic catalysis is a sustainable catalytic process to drive the conventional catalytic reactions under ambient conditions by solar energy. Here, we report a porous carbon nanosphere-supported bimetallic nanocatalyst (Pd-Au/MCN) which exhibits upgraded performance in the oxidation of alcohol under irradiation of light compared to the conventional heating processes and the single metal catalysts (Pd/MCN). The Pd-Au bimetallic nanocatalyst combines photo-active Au nanoparticles, reaction-active Pd nanoparticles, and solar-adsorbing carbon nanospheres. Compared to the alcohol oxidation on Pd/MCN catalyst, Pd-Au/MCN catalyst exhibits almost 5 times higher catalytic activities in the oxidation of 2-Phenylethan-1-ol and 1-Phenylethan-1-ol, and 3 times higher activities in the oxidation of cinnamyl alcohol and 3-methoxybenzyl alcohol under light irradiation at 30 °C in water in the absence of a base. Moreover, the bimetallic nanocatalysts were able to be recovered and recycled 5 times without any obvious loss in catalytic activity.

Physicochemical characterization and polyphenol oxidase inactivation of Ataulfo mango pulp pasteurized by conventional and ohmic heating processes

Ohmic heating (OH) is an emerging technology with potential for pasteurization and enzyme inactivation in mango pulp. This research aimed to investigate the effect of OH and conventional boiling treatment (CT) at moderate pasteurization conditions (72 °C, 2 min) on the physicochemical characteristics and the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) residual activity in Ataulfo mango pulp. Pulp's physical features, such as titratable acidity (TA) and pH did not show differences (p > 0.05) between treatments, whereas OH increased the apparent viscosity of mango pulp (10.26–15.64%). This effect was associated to a higher release of insoluble fiber. Both thermal treatments affected the color (ΔE values > 5) of mango pulp. PPO inactivation reached 95.7 ± 5.9% after 15 s with both thermal treatments. In silico molecular dynamics suggested that temperature and pH contributed to the PPO inactivation by inducing modifications in its catalytic site and altering the protein-substrate interaction. Our results indicate that OH is an effective technology to inactivate PPO at moderate pasteurization conditions (72 °C, 15 s), with minimal modifications on the physicochemical properties of Ataulfo mango pulp.

Optimization and Validation of the GC/FID Method for the Quantification of Fatty Acids in Bee Products

To the best of our knowledge, so far, no study has been conducted about the comparison of the total fatty acid concentration in the four bee products (honey, bee pollen, bee bread, and propolis) collected from Lithuania. Therefore, we aimed to optimize the derivatization parameters and to investigate a simple and sensitive gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) method to determine fatty acids. The optimal derivatization parameters were used to analyze fatty acids in the bee products. Regarding sample preparation, three derivatization parameters were compared (temperature and extraction time with BF3/MeOH reagent) in order to obtain a high amount of the total fatty acids of interest from the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) standard. The results showed that the highest total yield of fatty acids was conducted by using the conventional heating process at 70 °C for 90 min. Under optimal conditions, there was obtained excellent linearity for fatty acids with determination coefficients of r2 > 0.9998. The LODs and LOQs ranged from 0.21 to 0.54 µg/mL and 0.63 to 1.63 µg/mL, respectively. This method has been successfully applied to the qualitative analysis of fatty acids in bee products. The above findings might provide a scientific basis for evaluating the nutritional values of bee products.

Low-level radioactive waste management using microwave technology

Low-level radioactive waste is the inevitable outcome of many industrial, medical applications and nuclear power plants. This type of low-level waste is, however, also very hazardous, and its proper disposal is necessary as it may leak and contaminate soil and water, leading to both the environment and human health issues. The disposition and storage of the radioactive waste in its original form is very much critical and expensive, hence the pre-processing, including the proper procedure for the storage allocation is necessary for effective handling of this waste disposal. Most common approaches of preprocessing are “replace,” “reduce,” “reuse,” and “recycle.” The “reduce” approach is explored in this study using the novel microwave technology to handle the low-level radioactive waste. This approach has never been used before for this purpose. The applicability of the proposed method is validated using medical waste such as tissue papers, plastic carry bags, etc., and industrial waste such as Teflon tubing, concrete, glass, wood, etc., as test objects. These test objects (waste materials) are first categorized here based on their dielectric loss in order to explore the possibility of heating them using either the microwave or the conventional heating process. The heating process can effectively reduce total waste volume in a short span of time. The categorization of these materials is carried out by placing them into the prototype concealed environment to avoid any radioactive leakage. Finally, microwave technology is actually applied for the first time to monitor the online reduction in the volume of waste during the treatment processes.

Obsidian as a Raw Material for Eco-Friendly Synthesis of Magnetic Zeolites.

A sample of rhyolitic obsidian (OS) was used as raw material for zeolite synthesis by long (4 days) and fast (2 h)-aging hydrothermal processes. Zeolite synthesis was also performed by a fast (2 h) sonication method. The products were analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) both immediately after and 3 years after their formation in order to determine the stability of synthetic materials according to the method used. The results confirm zeolitization of obsidian both by long-aging conventional hydrothermal heating and fast hydrothermal process. However, the data highlight the efficiency of direct ultrasound energy in achieving more stable zeolite crystals over time. These results carried out using a natural source, follow those already obtained using wastes and pure sources as raw materials thus providing a definitive validation of the different mechanisms controlling zeolite formation according to the process used. Moreover, the results confirm the effectiveness of ultrasonic energy in the formation of zeolites that are more stable over time. Due to the chemical composition of the obsidian precursor, all synthetic zeolites show good magnetic properties (i.e., saturation magnetization), in view to potential magnetic separation.

One-Pot Synthesis of PtNi Alloy Nanoparticle-Supported Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes in an Ionic Liquid Using a Staircase Heating Process.

High-performance PtNi alloy nanoparticle-supported multiwalled carbon nanotube composite (PtNi/MWCNT) electrocatalysts can be prepared via one-pot preparation for oxygen reduction reaction. This route of preparation utilizes the pyrolytic decomposition of metal precursors, such as Pt(acac)2 with Ni precursors, nickel bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide (Ni[Tf2N]2) or nickel acetylacetonate (Ni(acac)2), in an ionic liquid (IL), N,N,N-trimethyl-N-propylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide ([N1,1,1,3][Tf2N]). Currently, there is insufficient information concerning the effect of difference in preparation conditions on the formation mechanism and catalytic activity of PtNi/MWCNT. In this article, a staircase heating process was used to investigate the PtNi alloy nanoparticle formation mechanism and catalytic activity of the resulting PtNi/MWCNT. We found that the alloy formation process, composition, and crystal structure, which directly affect the electrocatalytic activity, strongly depended on the Ni precursor species and heating process. The catalytic performance of certain PtNi/MWCNTs collected during the staircase heating process was better than that of PtNi/MWCNTs produced via the conventional heating process.

H2 yielding rate comparison in a warm plasma reactor and thermal cracking furnace

Climate change increases the odds of worsening drought and generating extreme weather events, being the poorest nations the most vulnerable. The emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) from anthropogenic activities have a considerable impact on climate change; in particular, the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) has the weightiest and most aggressive impact on the Earth. An emergent solution is to convert those specific gases into syngas (CO + H2) by using plasma technology; which offers reduced specific energy, and it is capable to produce very energetic species with instantaneous sequential chemical reactions.This work aims to validate the production of syngas comprising acetylene (C2H2) from the treatment of Biogas samples and a mixture composed of CH4, CO2, and N2 using warm plasma reactors. Specific energy (SE) and Energy Conversion Efficiency (ECE) were obtained in the function of experimental settings, showing the potential of the warm plasma technology on GHG treatment.Additionally, a comparison between warm plasma and thermal cracking processes has shown that H2 is generated more than 200 times faster and in a bigger quantity (more than 8 times) in a warm plasma than for conventional heating process.

Effect of the Microwave Heating on Diffusion Kinetics and Mechanical Properties of Borides in AISI 316L

In this study, the effect of microwave heating on boride formation and diffusion kinetics in 316L stainless steel alloys was investigated. Boriding was carried out in microwave furnace with 2.9 kW power and 2.45 GHz frequency. Four different boriding temperatures (800, 850, 900 and 950 °C) were used. Boriding was performed for 2, 4 and 6 h for each temperature. Boron layer thicknesses of boride layers were determined by optical microscope. SEM images were taken from the cross sections of the borided samples. Boron activation energy was determined as 244.15 kJ/mol in microwave environment. Two times thicker boride layer was obtained by microwave boriding process compared to the conventional heating process. The mechanical properties of the boride layers formed by microwave boriding (Young’s modulus, hardness, yield strength, residual thermal stress) were determined by nanoindentation tests.

Investigation of Organic Acids in Saffron Stigmas (Crocus sativus L.) Extract by Derivatization Method and Determination by GC/MS

The beneficial health properties of organic acids make them target compounds in multiple studies. This is the reason why developing a simple and sensitive determination and investigation method of organic acids is a priority. In this study, an effective method has been established for the determination of organic (lactic, glycolic, and malic) acids in saffron stigmas. N-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-N-methyltrifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA) was used as a derivatization reagent in gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometric detection (GC/MS). The saffron stigmas extract was evaporated to dryness with a stream of nitrogen gas. The derivatization procedure: 0.1 g of dried extract was diluted into 0.1 mL of tetrahydrofuran, then 0.1 mL MTBSTFA was orderly and successively added into a vial. Two different techniques were used to obtain the highest amount of organic acid derivatives from saffron stigmas. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the quantitative and qualitative GC/MS detection of organic acids in saffron stigmas using MTBSTFA reagent, also comparing different derivatization conditions, such as time, temperature and the effect of reagent amount on derivatization process. The identification of these derivatives was performed via GC-electron impact ionization mass spectrometry in positive-ion detection mode. Under optimal conditions, excellent linearity for all organic acids was obtained with determination coefficients of R2 > 0.9955. The detection limits (LODs) and quantitation limits (LOQs) ranged from 0.317 to 0.410 µg/mL and 0.085 to 1.53 µg/mL, respectively. The results showed that the highest yield of organic acids was conducted by using 0.1 mL of MTBSTFA and derivatization method with a conventional heating process at 130 °C for 90 min. This method has been successfully applied to the quantitative analysis of organic acids in saffron stigmas.

Transient Liquid Phase Bonding of 17-4-PH Stainless Steel Using Conventional and Two-Step Heating Process

Conventional and two-step heating transient liquid phase bonding (TLP) experiments of martensitic precipitation hardening stainless steel 17-4-PH were studied employing AMS 4777 braze filler at temperature of 1050 °C for different times (15 to 90 min) to accomplish the ideal brazing condition. The effect of TLP methods and bonding conditions on the microstructure and shear bond strength was investigated. The critical bonding time for isothermal solidification in conventional and two-step heating TLP was 60 min and 45 min, respectively. The microstructure of isothermal solidification zone consisted of Ni-rich solid solution phase. Eutectic constituents Cr-rich boride and Ni3Si were formed in the joint centerline in the athermally solidified zone. In the conventional method planar interface was formed, however in TLP bonding under temperature gradient non-planar interface was formed, high angel grain boundaries merged at the end of isothermal solidification and homogenous bond was produced. Due to the decrease of athermally solidified zone the shear strength increased by increasing the holding time and when using the two-step heating process because of better metal to metal contact, the shear strength was higher. The optimum condition was a temperature gradient TLP in 60 min bonding time, which led to shear strength of 435 MPa.

Flexible and Epitaxial Metal Oxide Thin Film Growth by Photoreaction Processing for Electrical and Optical Applications.

This review summarizes the use of photoreactions that replace conventional heating processes for growing oxide thin films from chemical solutions. In particular, this review outlines key variables in photoreactions that affect epitaxial and polycrystalline thin film growth, including precursor materials, laser wavelength, laser fluence, and carbon. In addition, the features of the photoreaction process that can be controlled at a low temperature by oxygen non-stoichiometry are examined. Likewise, functions that are neither achieved by developing a gradient structure nor controlled by a thermal equilibrium reaction are detailed. Two new concepts are presented, known as photoreaction of nanoparticles (PRNP) and photoreaction of a hybrid solutions (PRHS), in which crystal nuclei are pre-dispersed in a metal-organic compound film. This method has successfully produced flexible phosphor films used as resistor or thermistor electronic components. Finally, thin film growth using different light sources such as flash lamps and femtosecond lasers (fs) is explored.

Picolinium‐Based Hydrophobic Ionic Liquids as Additives to PEG200 to Lubricate Steel‐Silicon Contacts

AbstractThree new ionic liquids (ILs) containing the picolinium cation were synthesized using a more sustainable method based on microwave (MW) irradiation: 1‐hexyl‐2, 3 or 4‐picolinium trifluoromethanesulfonate ([C6‐x‐pic][TfO] where x=2, 3 and 4. The objective was, besides testing MW reactions with higher yields and lower reaction times comparing to conventional heating process, to assess the tribological behavior of these ILs as additives to base oil polyethylene glycol (PEG200). The friction coefficients (CoFs) for the pair silicon surface/steel sphere were compared to those obtained with other ILs based on the same anion. The ILs with cations containing one hexyl or butyl side chain led to lower CoFs, and [C6‐4‐pic][TfO] was the most efficient additive, which may be attributed to the cation symmetry. The roughness of the sliding surfaces was reduced after the tribological test using neat PEG200, but, when the additive [C6‐4‐pic][TfO] was added, the roughness was practically not affected. It seems that [C6‐4‐pic][TfO] adsorbs forming ordered layers that support the load together with the liquid film retained among the asperities of the opposing surfaces.

Microwave reduction enhanced leaching of valuable metals from spent lithium-ion batteries

Abstract The growing demand for high-energy lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has promoted the production of LiNixCoyMnZO2 cathode, which results in many spent LIBs to resolve. A novel method that employs microwave carbothermic reduction was used to enhance the leaching of metals from layered LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 of spent LIBs. The thermodynamic analysis showed that LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 could be theoretically reduced to single metals in the presence of graphite. Then experimental results demonstrated that the transition metals can be effectively reduced under the parameters of 500 W microwave energy and 30min time. Afterward, multiscale characterizations revealed that microwave irradiation leads to the disorderly crystal structure and lattice cracks of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 materials, which is more efficient to facilitate their interparticle liberation and destruction of crystal structure compared with the conventional heating process. Based on the characterization of the reduction products and their leaching performance, the mechanism for microwave carbothermic reduction was accordingly raised. Finally, the leaching experimental results show the optimal efficiencies of 97% transition metals (Co Ni, and Mn) and 99% Li were obtained under microwave carbothermic reduction, which is found more efficient in comparison to the samples without microwave treated. The whole process is found to be effective and sustainable for recovery of valuable metals from the industrial electrode of spent LIBs.