Breakthrough research makes battery recycling more economical - Newswise

Newswise — How do we make battery recycling cost effective? Scientists at the ReCell Center have taken another step towards that goal.

Lithium-ion batteries are the engines of our technological present and future. They power portable electronics, such as smartphones and laptops and electric vehicles (EVs), which are growing in popularity. But the increasing use of lithium-ion batteries, especially in automobiles, has outpaced the technology to recycle them. Now, scientists at the ReCell Center — the nation’s first advanced battery recycling research and development center, headquartered at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory — have made a pivotal discovery that removes one of the biggest hurdles standing in the way of making recycling lithium-ion batteries economically viable.

The recycling processes being used today enable the recovery of metals in forms that are of low value to battery manufacturers. An enormous problem looms on the horizon: In less than a decade, researchers project that two million tons of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries from EVs will be retired each year. The number of end-of-life EV batteries is currently low, but it’s about to rise substantially as older model vehicles reach the end of their useful life — and the current recycling infrastructure is not ready for the influx.

“If the battery industry is going to buy recycled cathode material to reuse in new batteries, they are not going to sacrifice purity.” — Jessica...

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