From linear to circular: review and future agenda of waste battery recycling network optimization

With the rapid growth of global electric vehicles (EVs) and the continuous production of used batteries, how to optimize the recycling network for used batteries has become an important issue for achieving sustainable development. Although various studies have explored the optimization of the used EVs battery recycling network using different methods, no systematic review of optimization methods for such networks has yet been published. As a result, the purpose of this paper is to use the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) method to screen 153 relevant papers published between 2000 and April 2025, and systematically review the optimization methods in the recycling network of used EVs batteries. The study found that the existing optimization methods mainly cover game theory methods, mathematical optimization methods, simulation methods, and multi-attribute decision-making methods. Through the systematic review of these methods, this paper further identified the current research gaps and proposed several potential research directions. This paper is the first literature review on optimization methods for the retired EVs batteries recycling network, and this review not only provides a systematic research framework for academics, but also offers effective references for policy makers and industrial practitioners to optimize the recycling network of used EVs batteries.