Orbis Research released a report regarding progress in North America with recycling lithium batteries. This is important, since lithium and scarce cobalt constituents still end up in landfill where they pollute the soil for a very long time. We are pleased to hear that market forces are causing an uptick in recycling lithium batteries. Because electric cars can only be truly green, when everything in them recycles for reuse.
Powerful Technology Boosts Recycling Lithium Batteries
There was little money from recycling lithium-ion penny batteries owing to dis-economies of scale. However, the emergence of electric cars and lithium battery storage farms shifted the paradigm. This industry is now in favor of recycling lithium batteries.
There is now good money in recycling automobile, consumer electronic, industrial, and power batteries, Orbis Research reports. Especially since lithium battery applications are adopting larger power requirements in the face of demands for lower costs. Moreover, other technologies including enhanced lead-acid batteries are snapping at the lithium industry’s heels.
Increased Recycling Demand is Boosting Development and Research
Oribi Research as reported by News Australia Today, confirms an uptick in recycling to meet the exponential demand for electric car batteries. They say recycling lithium batteries mostly occurs through “metal refining and chemical synthesis processes”.
These processes recover lithium feedstock that has not processed all the ions. They say, “This is usually accomplished by physically breaking up the battery, and gravimetrically recovering the battery case. Then smelting or chemically recovering electrodes and electrolytes, and finally refining and purifying the recovered battery compounds follows.”
We are excited to learn the lithium battery industry is finally getting around to recycling a significant amount of used lithium batteries in North America. We should not wait until we start running out of lithium and cobalt. Because these are not our materials to deplete. They belong to the generations that follow after us, who may need them for more important things.
Related:
Recycling Lithium Batteries: Current Way
Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Leaps Ahead
Preview Image: Model S Assembly by Robots
