Lithium Battery Recycling

A significant problem with lithium batteries is the availability of raw ingredients, and in particular lithium. I was interested to read that Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden may have a solution. Thank you to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers for bringing this to our attention.

This new recycling method sounds as though it will be reasonably environmentally friendly, and as long as it is better than mining fresh lithium it will be a welcome addition to the sector!

The method uses oxalic acid – an organic acid that can be found in plants such as rhubarb and spinach, and it can supposedly recover 100% of the aluminium and 98% of the lithium found in used EV batteries. Furthermore, it can apparently be scaled up to industrial use, and it can also capture some of the other minerals found in these batteries, such as nickel, cobalt and manganese. 

More information on the process is provided in the article below. 

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