Breakthrough research makes battery recycling more economical
From www.newswise.com
2021-09-28 16:50:00
Excerpt:
Newswise — How do we make battery recycling cost effective? Scientists at the ReCell Center have taken another step towards that goal.
Lithium-ion batteries are the engines of our technological present and future. They power portable electronics, such as smartphones and laptops and electric vehicles (EVs), which are growing in popularity. But the increasing use of lithium-ion batteries, especially in automobiles, has outpaced the technology to recycle them. Now, scientists at the ReCell Center — the nation’s first advanced battery recycling research and development center, headquartered at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory — have made a pivotal discovery that removes one of the biggest hurdles standing in the way of making recycling lithium-ion batteries economically viable.
The recycling processes being used today enable the recovery of metals in forms that are of low value to battery manufacturers. An enormous problem looms on the horizon: In…