Recyclable batteries

When an electric vehicle (EV) battery reaches the end of its useful life, it loses any "green" qualities it once had. If it ends up in a landfill, its cells can release toxic substances. And recycling it is more difficult than you would think. In this context, scientists have offered to seek a solution to this emerging question: How can we recycle the millions of EV batteries that the automobile industry is expected to produce in the coming decades? The heart of the matter is that today's batteries are not designed to be recycled. This wasn't such a big problem when EVs were rather rare, but by 2030 around 145 million EVs may be on the road, compared with 11 million last year. 

At the same time, governments are considering making recycling mandatory. The EU is expected to adopt its first requirements this year, whereas in the US, although the federal government hasn't announced it, several states are exploring their own options for a similar requirement. Nevertheless, complying with these regulations will not be easy. Batteries are significantly different in their chemistry and construction, making it difficult to create efficient recycling systems. And often, their cells are joined with resistant glues that make them difficult to break down, which creates an additional economic hindrance: sometimes, it is cheaper for manufacturers to purchase recently mined metals than to use recycled materials. Improving the ability to recycle prevents pollution and helps governments ensure the availability of important metals whose supply is controlled by very few countries. On the one hand, disposing of EV batteries is a waste management concern, but on the other hand, it's a great opportunity to generate a secondary source of critical sustainable materials. 

To encourage recycling, governments and industry are investing in diverse research initiatives. For example, the US Department of Energy supports the ReCell Center, the United Kingdom backs the ReLIB project, and China is behind the development of a recyclable battery (Blade Battery) that was developed last year by BYD. These advances, driven by a 2018 regulation that summoned EV manufacturers to ensure that battery components be reusable, resulted in China recycling more lithium batteries today than the rest of the world. 

Obviously, governments must play a decisive role in facilitating and promoting recycling. Along this line, in China's footsteps, they should maybe begin by defining the responsibilities of EV manufacturers and sellers and those of users who purchase and use them. 

Article published in La Vanguardia.