Batteries with recycled parts turned out to have a longer life than unused batteries
With the spread of electric vehicles, many researches and developments are being carried out on batteries installed in electric vehicles. Meanwhile, a
Recycled cathode materials enabled superior performance for lithium-ion batteries: Joule
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2021.09.005
Study: Recycled Lithium Batteries as Good as Newly Mined --IEEE Spectrum
https://spectrum.ieee.org/recycled-batteries-good-as-newly-mined
Electric vehicles have the image of being 'environmentally friendly,' but it has been pointed out that precious metals such as nickel and cobalt are used in their batteries, and that the mining of these metals creates a large environmental burden. To do. Therefore, it is required to collect and recycle the metal contained in the battery to minimize the social and environmental impossibility of the mining industry, and to reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions generated by the manufacture of the battery. I am.
However, Professor Wang argued, 'In general, the impression is that recycled materials are not as good as unused materials, which is why battery developers avoid using recycled materials in their batteries.' In order to improve the impression of recycled batteries, we conducted a 'battery life comparison experiment using recycled parts and unused materials' in collaboration with battery development companies and industry groups.
When the research team verified the life of a battery using recycled positive electrode material 'NMC111 ' containing nickel, manganese, and cobalt as the main components by a test method for electric vehicles, a battery using an unused positive electrode material was used. It turns out that the life is up to 53% longer than that. After investigating the reason, a 'porous microscopic structure suitable for lithium ions to enter and exit' was observed from the recycled NMC111.
'The results of this experiment prove that recycled positive electrode materials are a viable alternative to unused positive electrode materials,' said Professor Wang, proactively promoting recycled materials to the battery industry. It is recommended to adopt it as a target.
The recycled NMC111 is already available for sale by battery manufacturing startup Battery Resourcers. In addition, the company succeeded in raising 70 million dollars (about 8 billion yen) in 2021, and plans to start operation of a factory capable of processing 10,000 tons of batteries in 2022. In addition, two plants will be built in Europe by the end of 2022.
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