As the electrical automobile market expands and the primary wave of contemporary EVs ages, the subject of lithium-ion battery recycling arises. Is the business able to deal with outdated batteries to guard the atmosphere and supply precious supplies for brand spanking new batteries?
Properly, the state of affairs seems to be beneath management proper now. In keeping with Argonne Nationwide Laboratory’s report Securing Supplies for the U.S. Electrical Automobile Business, from February 2024, as of 2023, the prevailing home battery recycling capability within the U.S. is estimated at 35,000 tons. It is all the time troublesome to say the common EV battery weight, particularly if we focus solely on the battery cells with out the metal enclosure, auxiliary programs, and cables. Nonetheless, we cautiously guess that 35,000 tons is perhaps the equal of fifty,000-100,000 EV batteries (cells) yearly.
EV battery recycling
Quickly, EV lithium-ion batteries shall be obtainable for recycling at a scale exceptional, vastly exceeding the quantity from client electronics. Relying on the precise battery chemistry, there is perhaps treasured components for restoration, together with lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, copper, and extra.
We’re not but at some extent at which EVs would retire from the U.S. market at such a charge. By the way in which, a number of the battery packs may even be used as stationary power storage programs earlier than contemplating recycling. Nonetheless, it is nice to see that the battery recycling business already has a considerable capability for batteries from numerous functions, as we perceive.
It is just the start. In keeping with the report, a further 76,000 tons of deliberate capability shall be put in within the U.S. over the subsequent two to 4 years. Which means that the output will triple to some 111,000 tons per 12 months. Such a quantity will most likely be sufficient for a six-digit variety of EV battery packs (cells).
The DOE’s Automobile Applied sciences Workplace additionally famous that the intermediate processing services—which “obtain lithium-ion batteries and battery manufacturing scrap to course of into supplies that may be reintegrated into the battery provide chain”—reclaimed almost 175,000 tons of supplies in 2023. This section is anticipated to broaden by a further 198,000 tons within the subsequent few years to a complete of near 400,000 tons.
Argonne Nationwide Laboratory revealed an attention-grabbing map exhibiting the places of present and deliberate recycling materials producers and intermediate processing services. The places are much like these of present and deliberate lithium-ion battery factories.
Recycling EV batteries is likely one of the most vital issues for the subsequent decade, and it already began. It is anticipated to be worthwhile as a result of recycling precious content material from outdated batteries is normally simpler than mining.
As a result of environmental points, we can also’t afford to ditch outdated batteries with out recycling. When EV supplies are circulating from outdated to new batteries repeatedly, it have to be a closed loop.