One of the criticisms of lithium-ion batteries has long been that they cannot be recycled, that each new battery therefore requires fossil-fuel-powered energy-intensive mining of metals such as lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt.
Not only does this increase the greenhouse gas emissions from the battery supply chain, but it also raises concerns over the future scarcity and cost of these raw materials. Human rights issues are also an issue, especially as more than 70% of the world’s cobalt supply comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where mining has seen fatal accidents, child labour and violent clashes between poverty-stricken miners, as well as local corruption.
However, a breakthrough in battery recycling may now have been achieved, with Swedish manufacturer Northvolt announcing that it has produced its first lithium-ion battery cell using 100% recycled nickel, manganese and cobalt — essential ingredients in lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) batteries.
“What we have shown here is a clear pathway to closing the loop on batteries and that there exists a sustainable, environmentally-preferable alternative to conventional mining in order to source raw materials for battery production,” said Northvolt chief environmental officer Emma Nehrenheim, who heads the company’s Revolt recycling programme.
“The recycling process can recover up to 95% of the metals in a battery to a level of purity on par with fresh virgin material.”
A statement from Northvolt —...
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