Endlessly recycling batteries was an ambitious plan a few years ago, especially for a society accustomed to endlessly spending earth’s resources. A voracious mining industry also had no problems endlessly expanding into new green fields. However, a German auto manufacturer has a better idea. Let us keep using the same materials time a time again.
A Fresh Consortium For Endlessly Recycling Batteries
Volkswagen Group is leading the HVBatCycle research consortium with funding from German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. Green Car Congress confirms this group includes ANIOBIS GmbH, J. Schmalz GmbH and Viscom AG.
However, this group will also benefit from support by RWTH Aachen University, TU Braunschweig and Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films. Those latter institutions will spend the next three years researching and developing technology to support the plan.
“The recycling of batteries and production rejects makes a decisive contribution to securing the supply of raw materials”. So says Sebastian Wolf, Chief Operating Officer Battery Cell at Volkswagen AG. “The HVBatCycle project will deliver a holistic view of the recycling processes,” he declares.
Implementation of Closed-Loop Battery Materials Will Follow
Closed-loop manufacture implies recycling materials from products past their prime, into new versions. The global lead-acid battery industry, of which we are part already has average 95% success in this regard.
That’s down to sustainable high demand and a simple technology that stood the test of time for one and a half centuries. However, the new generation lithium batteries are much more difficult to recycle, because of their design and materials.
Therefore the consortium project will explore a mechanical-hydrometallurgical recycling approach, to extract active ingredients lithium and cobalt. That’s because this low-energy method of endlessly recycling batteries, could roll out on a decentralized basis throughout Europe.
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