Back to brand-new: Game-changing EV battery recycling tech brings 100% power back
Testing confirmed that the restored cathode achieved a capacity equivalent to that of new materials.
Researchers in South Korea have announced the successful development of an eco-friendly technology for recycling cathode materials from used lithium-ion batteries.
The recent rise in electric vehicles, mobile phones, and other consumer electronics has led to the rise of a new global challenge: the management of spent batteries.
The low-cost technology developed by the research team led by Dr. Jung-Je Woo at the Gwangju Clean Energy Research Center of the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) aims to address this issue.
According to rough estimates, the number of decommissioned EVs is expected to surpass 40 million by 2040. Therefore, finding an appropriate recycling technology is an absolute must.
The metals in EV batteries pose a significant risk to the environment and health, as they can contaminate water and soil if left alone.
The recycling process restores spent batteries to 100% of their original capacity, making them equivalent to new batteries, as the researchers claim.
Difference between conventional and new eco-friendly methods for battery cathode recycling
In the conventional battery recycling method, the used batteries are crushed, and valuable metals such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt are extracted through chemical processes.
This process is dependent on the use of high-concentration chemicals and excessive heat. It is also time-consuming and generates significant amounts of waste that contaminate the surroundings.
Due to these reasons, direct recycling technology is increasingly being adopted these days. It recovers and restores original materials without chemical alteration. However, this process has its own drawbacks: It is substantially costly and involves many complex procedures.
Therefore, Korean researchers developed a new technology for directly recycling spent cathode materials from lithium-ion batteries through a simple process that addresses the limitations of conventional recycling methods.
The new approach “restores the spent cathode to its original state by immersing it in a restoration solution under ambient temperature and pressure, effectively replenishing lithium ions.”