What should be done with lithium ion batteries after the retirement of electric vehicles?

New energy vehicles have eliminated the pollution of the atmosphere brought by the exhaust emissions of traditional fuel trucks, but the pollution of the environment caused by batteries after waste has brought new problems to the society. The policy has spared no effort to provide various subsidy programs and guidance, but there is still a long way to go.

Companies are preparing to tackle an important environmental problem as electric vehicles become the dominant vehicle for travel: how to deal with the lithium-ion batteries used to drive them once they are scrapped, according to an article published on the Financial Times website on September 3.

Luosijier estimates that by 2025 batteries used in electric vehicles will account for 90 % of the lithium-ion battery market. This will increase the demand for lithium by four times and the demand for cobalt will more than double. Lithium and cobalt are the two basic elements that make electric car batteries. Cobalt prices have risen by more than 80 % this year.

However, although recycling of small lithium-ion batteries is not widespread, many companies want to recycle car batteries and are seeking ways to profit from recycling used car batteries.

Since 2006, the Belgian company Elegant has become one of the few companies to recycle lithium-ion batteries. It uses a smelting and chemical leaching process to recover metals. The company says it is now conducting a pilot project to recycle electric car batteries. This is in preparation for a likely "significant" number of car batteries entering the market in 2025.

One problem is that lithium-ion batteries on electric vehicles use a variety of different chemical processes, which makes standardized recycling difficult.

"Everyone is taking their own approach," said Linda·gaiensi, an analyst at the Center for Transportation Research at the Argonne National Laboratory. Recovering lead-acid batteries is much simpler. "

Onto Technologies, based in Oregon, wants to sidestep the issue. Instead of dismantling the battery components, it has adopted the method of producing high-quality battery electrode materials directly from used batteries.

"By 2025, this is definitely going to be a dynamic industry," said Shidifu·silupu, founder of the company. Between now and 2020, it will try to practice and collect these materials for manufacturing. "

Lithium recycling, a Canadian recycling company, says all battery materials need to be recycled to be profitable. The company said it could recycle all types of lithium-ion batteries and recover 90 % of the material, including lithium, cobalt, copper and graphite.

"Achieving full economic value ... will make it profitable," said Kekehaer, chief executive and co-founder of the company. To truly understand what will lead to this market, you need to consider all the other valuable components it contains. "

Kekehaer estimates that by 2030, more than 11 million tons of used lithium-ion batteries will be discarded. His company hopes to process 5,000 tons a year at the beginning and 250,000 tons a year at the end.

Carmakers are also considering battery recycling. In a Tweet last July, Ailong·masike, the founder of Tesla Motors, said the Tesla superplant in Nevada "will be fully powered by clean energy and will include battery recycling". China and the European Union have introduced rules that will put carmakers in charge of recycling their batteries.

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