Earth Day is April 22, and the usual message – taking care of our planet – has become even more urgent due to the challenges highlighted in the latest IPCC report. This year, Ars looks at the technologies we normally cover, from cars to making chips, and find out how we can increase their sustainability and minimize their impact on the climate.
Electric vehicles, power tools, smartwatches: lithium-ion batteries are everywhere these days. However, the materials to make them are finite, and their procurement has environmental, humanitarian and economic implications. Recycling is key to addressing these, but a recent study shows that most lithium-ion batteries are never recycled.
Lithium and several other metals that make up these batteries are incredibly valuable. The cost of raw lithium is about seven times what you would pay for the same weight of lead, but unlike lithium batteries, almost all lead-acid batteries are recycled. So there is something more than pure economics at play.
As it turns out, there are good reasons why lithium battery recycling hasn’t happened yet. But some companies expect to change that, which is a good thing, as recycling lithium batteries will be an essential part of the transition to renewable energy.
Lead Acid Lessons
How extreme is the difference between lithium and lead batteries? In 2021, the average price of one tonne of battery-grade lithium carbonate was $17,000, compared to $2,425 for leading North American markets, and raw materials now account for more than half of battery costs, according to a 2021 report from the International Energy Agency. (IEA).
The imbalance of recycling is also counterintuitive in terms of the supply of fresh material. According to a recent report by the United States Geological Survey, the global resources of lithium are 89 million tons, most of which come from South America. In contrast, the global supply of lead at 2 billion tons was 22 times higher than that of lithium.
Despite the smaller supply of lithium, a study earlier this year in the Journal of the Indian Institute of Science found that less than 1 percent of lithium-ion batteries are recycled in the US and EU, compared to 99 percent of lead-acid batteries, which are most commonly used in gas vehicles and power grids. According to the study, recycling challenges range from constantly evolving battery technology to expensive shipping of hazardous materials to inadequate government regulation.
Emma Nehrenheim, Chief Environmental Officer at Northvolt Battery, said everyone expected lead to disappear, but she attributes continued economic success to high recycling rates.
“Every time you buy a battery for your car, you have to give the whole battery back, and then it goes into the recycling chain,” said Nikhil Gupta, the study’s lead author and a professor of mechanical engineering at the University’s Tandon School of Engineering Sciences. from New York. This has not worked for lithium batteries, in part because so many sizes exist. “These batteries come in different sizes everywhere,” he said. A related challenge is that lithium battery technology is changing rapidly — every one to two years, he said.
But overcoming these recycling challenges is a must. Lithium-based batteries contain more energy in a smaller package compared to lead-acid batteries. They are critical to decarbonising transportation and enabling a widespread transition to renewable energy by ensuring a predictable power supply from otherwise intermittent wind and solar power. It is a huge undertaking to realize these transitions on a global scale. “For that, we would have to make great strides in battery technology,” Gupta said. “There’s no doubt about it.”
Accordingly, global lithium consumption has increased by 33 percent since 2020. If renewable energy targets sufficient to halt climate change are met, lithium demand is expected to grow 43-fold, the IEA said. “What happens if we don’t have a lithium supply?” said Gupta. “There is no good answer yet.”
Lithium is not the only material that can limit the use of these batteries. The anode and cathode of the batteries contain materials that are also subject to potential supply problems, such as cobalt and nickel. So, recycling can help solve multiple delivery issues. “If you want to build a battery, an old battery contains exactly the same components,” Nehrenheim said.
