Can Lithium-Ion Batteries be Recycled-Performance & Challenges

Lithium-ion batteries are commonly used in our mobiles and laptops. With the increasing use of such kinds of rechargeable devices in our daily routine, these batteries have become a vital part of our lives. These batteries provide more energy compared to other types of batteries.

Moreover, when there is an abundant use of something then it needs to be disposed of or recycled when it becomes out of order. Disposing of something is not an issue but the question comes whether these batteries can be recycled or not. Yes, they can be recycled, but lithium is a highly reactive metal, these batteries cannot be recycled like other simple things, some precautionary measures are followed while disposing of them. Yet these batteries are not as toxic as other batteries.?

ARE LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY?

Well, Li-ion batteries have contributed a lot in moving the energy sector from the dependency of fossil fuels to clean renewable energy. The batteries themselves may not be environment friendly, due to lithium being an active metal and they have a significant impact on the environment and human health.

3.2V 20A Low Temp LiFePO4 Battery Cell -40℃ 3C discharge capacity≥70% Charging temperature：-20~45℃ Discharging temperature: -40~+55℃ pass acupuncture test -40℃ maximum discharge rate：3C

READ MORE

However, when we see it from another perspective, which is that they have moved the dependency of the energy sector from fossil fuels to renewable energy and have made it possible that even when there is no wind or sunlight even then energy consumed with the same potential as it is consumed in the presence of these two.

Lithium-ion batteries have played a vital role in reducing the carbon footprint due to the usage of fossil fuels. Yet they are themselves also not a perfect green technology. It is possible if a little progress is done in the mining and recycling processes. This technology has made a huge impact on the environment by replacing inefficient coal plants with renewable green energy sources.

Apart from being environmentally friendly, this technology has also been cost-efficient for us. When someone installs solar panels in their house or a wind turbine. Then they can enjoy electricity when sunlight or wind is available and even after both these facilities are unavailable we can still have electricity stored in these batteries.

WHEN WILL YOU CARE FOR RECYCLING LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES?

For making lithium-ion a green energy source it is very much important that it is not disposed of after use, it should be recycled. However, unfortunately, our society is facing a huge challenge as millions of tons of these batteries are being disposed of and there are very little companies dealing with their recycling. Lithium is a highly reactive metal; their recycling process is not so simple.

Due to the extensive demand and production of electric cars, the need for these batteries has also increased. China alone by the end of 2020 will be producing around 500,000 tons of used Li-ion batteries, which are very much valuable but due to costly recycling, valuable metals and materials could become trash and destroy our environment as well.

It is very much important that instead of researching on making batteries more cost-effective and increasing their life and charge capacity, some research should be done on how to make their recycling more cost-efficient so that valuable metals and material is saved from being dumped.

Low Temperature High Energy Density Rugged Laptop Polymer Battery Battery specification: 11.1V 7800mAh -40℃ 0.2C discharge capacity ≥80% Dustproof, resistance to dropping, anti - corrosion, anti - electromagnetic interference

READ MORE

WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE OF RECYCLING LI-ION BATTERIES?

Recycling these batteries have challenges of collection, transportation, sorting, shredding, and many more. In the end, the material recovered hardly pays off for the labor. An urgent need is finding a process of directly recycling these batteries without these complexities so that some kind of attraction is there in this business. Now the cost and complex processes involved in its recycling are preventing this as a business to grow.

It requires a big capital to start their recycling business. Due to this huge capital requirement in the recycling of lithium-ion batteries, it is neglected. Nevertheless, there is a piece of good news, recently some new techniques have been discovered and some are being experimented upon that will surely make this process easy and less time-consuming. Moreover, this process will also become more pocket friendly.

All this presents two opportunities, as well as the opportunity of recycling programs. With the new cost-efficient techniques, it is very much possible that people are convinced regarding their recycling instead of disposal. This will also require some serious awareness campaigns to make them understand the danger that comes with disposing of these batteries and the spark of gaining profit with the new cost-efficient techniques of its recycling.

Summarizing all this, these batteries are first manufactured with some of the very rare and costly metals and materials. After that, they are just disposed of while it is possible to recycle and extract those metals and materials and use them again. The main hurdle in the process of recycling them is the complexity of the process and lack of recycling sites. In addition, why is that? Due to the cost off course, when your process is complex and your transportation is big then it will surely affect your price.

The need today is for firstly inventing a process that is a less burden to the pocket and then spreading awareness to increase the number of recycling sites for these batteries. Because looking at the increasing demand for some devices and electric-powered vehicles the manufacturing of these batteries is growing very rapidly and still, we have not given any thought on increasing its recycling process.

What are we focusing on? How to make them cheaper and long-lasting, this will only increase the demand for these batteries but what impact it will bring to the environment and human health and also the number of precious metals and materials that will go into waste bins. It is also important to keep in mind that if burned these batteries can cause serious damage and emit toxic fumes making our environment more polluted than it is today.

Therefore, some serious thought must be given to make this process of recycling easy so that all these dangers mentioned could be dealt with ease.