Anahita Kazemi Kia
Chemical Engineer/Research Assistant
Chemistry & Chemical Engineering Research Center of Iran
Anahita Kazemi Kia is a chemical engineering researcher specializing in lithium extraction, nanomaterial synthesis, and advanced separation processes. She holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering (Process Design) from the Chemistry & Chemical Engineering Research Center of Iran (CCERCI), where her thesis on lithium extraction from brines received the Best Thesis Award in 2025. Her graduate work established a strong foundation in solvent extraction, interfacial chemistry, and process-scale design, and it evolved into peer-reviewed publications and several collaborative research projects.
Her research portfolio spans solvent extraction, lithium carbonate precipitation mechanisms, hydrometallurgical recovery strategies, and the development of functional nanomaterials such as graphene oxide, MOFs, and pH-responsive hydrogels. She has extensive hands-on experience with laboratory synthesis, experimental design, physicochemical characterization, and data analysis. She is trained in key analytical techniques including XPS, FTIR, UV-Vis, and NMR, and she routinely integrates these tools to investigate structure–property relationships in both inorganic and polymeric systems.
Anahita has authored and co-authored multiple scientific contributions. Her published work in Environmental Science and Pollution Research focuses on solvent extraction from high Mg/Li ratio brines and demonstrates her leadership in conceptualization, experimentation, and manuscript preparation. She is also the lead author of a submitted article examining ionic-environment effects on lithium carbonate precipitation, and she contributed substantially to a multifunctional pH-responsive hydrogel study currently under review in Cleaner Production. Her conference record includes presentations at IChEC 2023 and seminars on electrochemical processes, where she designed technical posters and contributed to analytical content and literature evaluations.
She has collaborated on industrial-scale research, most notably an applied project achieving 95% purity lithium carbonate from domestic mining soil, where she contributed to process development and analytical assessment. Her professional experience as a Research Assistant at CCERCI further strengthened her competencies in material synthesis, laboratory operations, process troubleshooting, and technical documentation.
Her research interests include energy storage materials, hydrometallurgical extraction, waste-to-resource technologies, nanomaterial synthesis, membrane and porous media applications, and responsive material design. In addition to her scientific expertise, she is proficient in experimental design software, various engineering tools, and Microsoft Office applications.
Anahita is a motivated, detail-oriented, and ambitious researcher who brings scientific rigor, strong analytical skills, and a consistent drive for innovation to every project she joins.
Participates in
TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | Energy Fuels and Molecules
There are several approaches to recycling, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. While hydrometallurgical methods are recognized as efficient alternatives to polluting pyrometallurgical processes, their use of strong mineral acids generates toxic wastewater and hazardous waste. To address this, our research introduces a novel, environmentally friendly method for recovering cobalt used battery cathodes.
Our approach uses a biodegradable deep eutectic solvent (DES), a mixture of choline chloride and ethylene glycol, as a green leaching agent. This solvent effectively dissolves valuable metals from the lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO₂) cathode material. Following this step, we use a reusable biopolymeric hydrogel, made from cross-linked carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), to extract and recover the cobalt ions. The hydrogel acts as an adsorbent, using chelation, a process where its carboxyl and hydroxyl functional groups form stable complexes with the targeted metal ion.
This innovative system creates an efficient closed-loop recycling process, as both the DES and the hydrogel are reusable. The method demonstrates impressive results, with a leaching efficiency exceeding 85% for cobalt ion. The stability of the DES was confirmed through FT-IR and GC-MS analyses, highlighting its thermal stability and reusability. Similarly, the functionality of the hydrogels were verified with SEM and reusability tests, showing they lost only 19% of their adsorption capacity after three reuse cycles. ICP-MS confirmed the cobalt concentrartion in the whole process.
In conclusion, our research presents a sustainable, economic, and effective solution for recovering valuable metals from batteries. By replacing traditional, harmful solvents with a biodegradable DES and a reusable CMC hydrogel, this system strongly aligns with the principles of a circular economy and green development. The findings mark a significant step towards enhancing the sustainability and security of the battery industry's supply chain and reducing the global environmental impact of electronic waste.
Co-author/s:
Hooman Harighi, Petroleum Engineer and Research Assistant, Chemistry & Chemical Engineering Research Center of Iran (CCERCI) - Sharif University of Technology - Darya Fan Qeshm Industries Company (SADAF).
