Major carmakers are looking to expand the production and sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in the coming years. They're also seeking new ways to reuse batteries, without which more expenses may be added to EVs, though manufacturers guarantee their batteries for 8 to 10years. But few batteries are recycled currently, meaning their materials are reused.
Most recycling methods under development involve breaking the batteries down into smaller pieces. Whose procedure is complex. Then, different processes are used to separate the metallic elements. That means more labors are needed.
However, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report about the development of the EV market in 2020. The IEA noted that in most cases, the main elements of end-of-life EV battery systems can be repurposed, or used in a new way. In addition, the IEA said used batteries that still hold between 70 to 80 percent of their power capacity could be reused for "less demanding stationary storage". This could include using old EV batteries to store power for a main electricity system.
Nevada-based Redwood Materials, one of the main American businesses, seeks to recycle the most common EV battery materials. The company was started in 2019 by J. B. Straubel. The company's methods include hydrometallurgy and pyro metallurgy. Which use high heat to separate the metals, Straubel told the Associated Press that the reward far outweighs the investment though his company is still heavily investing in operations and technology. He added that there's really quite a hunger for these materials and that the metals used in EV batteries can be effectively recycled many times.
Another company, Canada's Li-Cycle, has opened several new processing centers in recent years and has plans to launch more. Li-Cycle says on its website its newest centers will have the capacity to recycle up to 10, 000 tons of the batteries per year, American Manganese, another Canadian company, plans to open a "demonstration plant" in Vancouver that aims to process about 50o kilograms of the battery waste every day.
These companies help solve problems related to the limited availability. With the disturbances resolved, the boom of EVs are knocking at the door.
