Selective recovery of Li and FePO 4 from spent LiFePO 4 cathode scraps by organic acids and the properties of the regenerated LiFePO 4 .

•Li and FePO4 can be selectively recovered by citric fruit juice-based leaching.•Lemon juice shows the best leaching effect based on the suitable pH.•The leaching process was optimized for the high recovery rates of Li and FePO4.•Crystalline carbon inside FePO4 must be removed for the regeneration of LiFePO4.•The regenerated LiFePO4 shows comparable performances to the fresh LiFePO4.