Battery recycling

[Dala]

I am actually sending my faulty packs to the location that Fortum has in Finland, very cool stuff they are doing there, awesome people too!

 

[GRA]

GCR:

VW plans to scale up process to recover 95% of EV batteries' raw materials

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1131521_vw-to-recover-95-of-ev-batteries-raw-materials

. . . VW announced on Tuesday that it will scale up a process for recovering raw materials from used EV batteries. The automaker opened what it calls a pilot battery-recycling plant in Salzgitter, Germany, earlier this year, and hopes to open similar plants around the world.

The Salzgitter plant can recover up to 95% of raw materials from a battery pack for potential reuse, including lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese, VW said in a press release. Current recycling methods, which essentially involve melting down batteries in a furnace, can only recover 60% of raw materials, the automaker said.

VW's method involves disassembling used battery packs, retaining any usable cells, and shredding the rest. This results in a sludge of metals and the liquid electrolyte, which is then drained away. The remaining dry granules of material are then sifted and sorted.

VW said the Salzgitter plant can handle up to 3,600 battery packs a year. The automaker has said before that it plans to establish such facilities around the world—and, seeing that the release originated with Volkswagen of America, for the United States, too. . . .

VW isn't the only automaker working to recover raw materials from battery packs. Tesla set up battery recycling at its Nevada Gigafactory in 2019.

Nissan and Sumitomo opened a recycling plant for Nissan Leaf batteries in Japan in 2018. So far Nissan hasn't announced a cohesive plan for U.S. Leaf batteries, although Tesla co-founder JB Straubel's Redwood Materials has reportedly reached an agreement with the packs' manufacturer, Envision AESC.

BMW is working with Swedish battery supplier Northvolt and Belgian materials-processing company Umicore, with the goal of disassembling used battery packs and putting the raw materials straight back into new cells manufactured by Northvolt.

In addition to plans for recycling, Audi is putting some of its batteries to work in factory tugs, where their diminished capacity doesn't matter so much.

 

[LeftieBiker]

The headline claims that the plant will recover "95%" of the raw materials. The body of the text says "up to 95%." You know those sales with variable discounts "up to" 70%? I think that it is likely like that. Probably more like a 75% recovery rate.

 

[SageBrush]

The headline claims that the plant will recover "95%" of the raw materials. The body of the text says "up to 95%." You know those sales with variable discounts "up to" 70%? I think that it is likely like that. Probably more like a 75% recovery rate.

Impossible to say without more details, but it is not far fetched to imagine that some packs are easier to take apart, have less plastic e.g., and result in higher yields; and that VW has optimized its process for their own packs.

I wondered about this aspect of designing a pack for eventual recycling when Tesla decided to skip the packaging, and instead put cells in a structural honeycomb. I haven't heard Tesla or Musk speak to this aspect of their design but I'm looking forward to more information.

 

[Oilpan4]

Up to 95% means the steel case, any copper conductors in and around the battery, any aluminum.
Oh look up graphite recycling. It sounds pretty bad.
Well we will definitely need the petrochemical industry around for all the chemicals needed to recover battery stuff.

 

[GRA]

GCC:

Ultium Cells and Li-Cycle collaborate to expand recycling in North America

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/05/20210512-ultium.html

Ultium Cells LLC, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution, announced an agreement with Li-Cycle to recycle up to 100% of the material scrap from battery cell manufacturing.

The new recycling process will allow Ultium Cells to recycle battery materials, including cobalt, nickel, lithium, graphite, copper, manganese and aluminum. Ninety-five percent of these materials can be used in the production of new batteries or for adjacent industries. . . .

The hydrometallurgical process through which these battery materials will be recycled emits 30% less greenhouse gas than traditional processes, helping to minimize environmental impact. . . .

 

[WetEV]

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/05/millions-electric-cars-are-coming-what-happens-all-dead-batteries

Design for recycling will ease the problem.

 

[GRA]

GCC:

Study on battery recycling in the EU: €9B needed by 2035, circular economy by 2040 seems unrealistic

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2023/08/20230822-recycle.html