The lithium batteries we deem unfit for use in electric vehicles might still contain copious amounts of usable, pure lithium we could retrieve and reuse—a potentially consistent, bountiful supply we’re just not trying hard enough to tap into, a new study suggests.
In a study published August 14 in the Journal of Environmental Management, researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia argue that tapping into the leftover lithium in used batteries could fuel a pragmatic, sustainable alternative to lithium mining. Shockingly, the lithium batteries that end up in landfills retain nearly 80% of their lithium capacity—still very much usable. Aside from the clear environmental advantage, recycling lithium batteries could also bring a wide array of socioeconomic benefits, the paper states.
The paper, a comprehensive review of the global lithium supply chain, evaluates the efficacy of lithium extraction from mining and recycling. Mining remains the dominant method for lithium recovery, but its environmental impact alone should be reason enough to eventually move away from it, the researchers explained in a statement. Recycling, by contrast, could offer far more bang for our buck. First, recycling processes produce around 61% less carbon than mining while using 83% less energy and 79% less water.
“By recycling these batteries, you can access not only the remaining lithium—which is already purified to near 99 percent—but you can also retrieve the nickel and the cobalt from these batteries,” added Asad Ali, study lead author and a postdoctoral student at ECU, in the statement. Ideally, such recycling facilities wouldn’t be as demanding on the natural environment as mining, he said.
Again, we have too many idle batteries lying around, the researchers noted—and that supply is only expected to grow. The global lithium-ion battery market is predicted to grow at an annual rate of 13%, and we’re projected to consume roughly 1,600 kilotons of lithium by 2026. In Australia alone—where the researchers are based—a government report estimates that lithium battery waste could amount to 137,000 tons each year.
With the right investments in infrastructure, tapping into this resource could create a new, profitable niche in the energy sector, said study co-author Sadia Afrin, also a postdoctoral student at ECU. But it’s an area that will have to grow alongside the technological advancements of industries that rely on lithium, she added.
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