Novel methods for recycling spent lithium ion batteries to develop of electroactive materials for energy storage applications

With the huge numbers of Lithium Ion Batteries (LIBs) used in mobile technologies, spent LIBs must be handled responsibly with key considerations in environmental impact and sustainability. Hence, recycling of LIBS will be an increasingly important global technical and economical challenge.

Currently, recycling technologies still need innovative solutions for pre-processing and metal recovery methods that can address issues such as cost, high temperature processes, throughput and generalizability across different battery chemistries.

Singapore is committed to recycling of electronic waste including batteries as the Extended Producer Responsibility Law will come into effect in 2021 where the legislation will govern the industry to collect and responsibility dispose/recycle electronic waste.

In the UK, through the Faraday Institute, the UK government and science community have also committed to place the UK at the forefront of lithium battery development and manufacture, including the recycling of LIBs.