Page 131 - CW E-Magazine (4-3-2025)

Point of View

Lithium-ion battery recycling brings dual economic

and ecological value

The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) (notwithstanding the current slowdown) poses two related challenges: ensuring the
sustainable and affordable availability of the key elements that go to make batteries; and recycling those that have reached end-of-life for
mobility use. With batteries from first batch of EVs that entered the market now available for recycling (after a service life of 5-8 years),
there is an urgency unlike in the past when small amounts were available largely from the electronics industry.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), in multiple configurations and chemistries, are the most commonly deployed battery systems for EVs, and
recycling efforts are largely focused on them. LIBs contain an array of minerals including lithium, cobalt, and nickel, and producing them has
a considerable ecological footprint in the mining and processing. Recycling is critical to lower demand for virgin metals and so reduce the
overall environmental impacts of the battery industry.
As per a recent report ‘Lithium-ion Battery Recycling – Market and Innovation Trends for a Green Future’ brought out by CAS, a Division
of the American Chemical Society (ACS), and Deloitte, a consultancy, the retirement scale of LIBs is expected to grow at a CAGR of 43%
between 2021 and 2030 to reach 1,483-GWh per year by 2030.

Crafting a path to profitability in the recycling business is a daunting challenge that will need astute technology choices, collaboration
with value chain partners, and supportive policy. Most major countries have companies that have embarked on this journey.
Key to address supply gaps
Recycling is key to addressing the anticipated supply-demand gap for several critical minerals needed for LIBs. Though these concerns
have somewhat abated in recent times (due a slowdown in sales of EVs and overcapacity in the LIB supply chain), the medium- and long-
term growth outlook for EVs (and hence batteries) remains more or less intact. The International Energy Agency (IEA), a think-tank in energy
matters, estimates that under its ‘net zero emissions by 2050’ scenario, global lithium demand will reach 1.431-mt by 2040 – seven-times
the current level – while that for nickel and cobalt are expected to double to 6.386-mt and 0.472-mt, respectively.
In addition, trade policies and geopolitical tensions are adding to uncertainty in markets, and driving national and regional initiatives to
build reliable and, where possible, local value chains for boosting availability of critical minerals, including through recycling.

Technology choices
The most common recycling methods for LIBs focus on cathodes, as they are composed of in-demand metals such as cobalt and nickel
and hold the most value. Interest in anode recycling is driven by recoverable graphite, lithium and copper, while that of the electrolyte (lithium
salts in organic carbonates) by its lithium extraction potential.

The primary recycling approaches (in order of importance) are pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy and direct recycling. While
pyrometallurgy relies on high-temperature treatment, hydrometallurgy uses chemical dissolution, and direct recycling aims to retain the
electrode’s chemical structure.

Each has its own advantages and drawbacks. While pyrometallurgy is energy-intensive, it can handle diverse battery types.
Hydrometallurgy, while being less energy demanding, produces considerable liquid wastes (as acids are used) that need to be treated.

One of the major challenges to recycling stems from the wide battery formats, designs, compositions and chemistries in the market.
This complicates the recycling process and requires specialised techniques. Furthermore, the presence of toxic and flammable substances
poses safety risks that have to be mitigated, which adds to costs. Technological innovations are focused on improving metal recovery rates,
so as to improve economic viability. Options being evaluated include use of deep eutectic solvents (DES), as an alternative to the acids used
in hydrometallurgy, as well as microbe-based leaching, which uses microorganisms to extract valuable metals. However, these need to be
optimised for efficiency, scalability and cost-effectiveness.

The environmental benefits
The environmental benefit of LIB recycling is evident from the fact that as much as 40-60% of the total emissions when manufacturing
EVs comes from the batteries that go into them.

Chemical Weekly March 4, 2025 131

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