Ultrasound Can Enable Faster, More Sustainable Battery Recycling - Eurasia Review

Known by expectant parents as the technology that enables them to see their child for the first time, ultrasound can be used at extremely low frequencies to serve an entirely different purpose. Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology report the first time ultrasound to extract valuable metals from electric car NMC batteries—a key contribution to the battery recycling process.

Not only does the new method add ultrasonic waves to the process of extracting metal ions from destroyed batteries, it also offers an alternative to the current use of harmful leaching agents—such as sulfuric acid. The payoff is a 50 percent reduction in extraction time and an increased recovery of metal ions such as lithium, cobalt, manganese, and nickel, says Xiong Xiao, a researcher in polymeric materials at KTH.

“A cornerstone of a future sustainable battery market will be resource-efficient metals recycling, allowing for a continuous supply of raw materials,” Xiao says. “The benefits will extend beyond electrification of automobiles to countless systems that rely on sustainable energy storage—from mobile phones to electrical grids.”

Ultrasonic baths send waves of mechanical pressure with extremely high frequencies. In this case, the researchers used a frequency of 40kHz—a tone far beyond the hearing range of humans. These waves create microbubbles that collapse, generating local temperatures of nearly 5,000C, and producing highly reactive free radicals. The resulting agitation increases...

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