Page 58 from: Previous editions >>

In the Laboratory

recovering
the lost metals
in eV batteries
Scientists in Norway are collaborating with big

industry players to take battery recycling to the

next level. The consortium hopes to enhance lithi-

um recovery rates in particular.

Battery recycling in Europe has come
far, with promising results for extract-
ing valuable metals such as copper,
nickel and zinc – but not all elements.
‘For the moment, unfortunately, lithi-
um is lost,’ laments Sulalit
Bandyopadhyay, a postdoctoral fel-
low at the Norwegian University of
Science and Technology ‘s
Department of Chemical Engineering.
He is part of an R&D group tasked
with recovering 100% of lithium from
electric car batteries. This involves
two specific types of EV batteries: the
Leaf model and prismatic cells.
There were around five million elec-
tric passenger cars on the global
market in 2018. Although worldwide
sales fell by around 2% last year –
with a similar outcome expected for
2020 – a string of financial incentives
issued by the Norwegian government
has resulted in electric cars making
up approximately 50% of all new
vehicle registrations in that country in
2019.

The black mass
‘We are the only one researchers in
Norway studying the hydrometallurgy
method to target lithium,’
Bandyopadhyay says. The process is
well-known in the industry and
involves dissolving raw materials in

water, allowing the metals such as
lithium, to be separated.
Ultimately, the group wants to devel-
op a process that also enhances the
recovery rates of nickel and cobalt
from the black mass. Bandyopadhyay
points out that the composition of
this powder varies depending on the
chemistry used to make battery cells.
‘Our plan is to launch a pilot plant in
2024 and a full-scale plant in 2027.’

Viable or noT?
‘Recycling lithium from electric vehi-
cle batteries is not yet financially
profitable but market reports show
that this will change in the next few
years,’ the researcher adds. The main
reason for the current low profitabili-
ty is that the volumes remain small.
‘EV batteries normally have a lifetime
of around 10 years, which means that
the vast majority of these batteries
are still working. We believe it won’t
be long before there will be enough
electric cars – and that the number of

used batteries in
Norway will rise
sharply,’
Bandyopadhyay argues. ‘By then
there will also be more money in
recycling. But it’s important to get
the technology and equipment in
place before we get there.’
Meanwhile, he says, it is vital to keep
a critical eye on battery trends.
‘Lithium may be a key element today
but this may change. In a few years,
completely different metals might be
used in car batteries than are at pres-
ent,’ Bandyopadhyay points out.

The libres crew
The innovative R&D project is known
as LIBRES, and is supported by peo-
ple working for Norsk Hydro and
Glencore Nikkelverk. The Finnish
mining company Keliber, which is
part-Norwegian owned, is also back-
ing the venture and is looking to pro-
duce lithium hydroxide for the inter-
national battery market.

For more information, contact:
sulalit bandyopadhyay at:
[email protected]

Do you know of a new recycling-
related research project? Let us
know! You can reach us via:
[email protected]

a u T h o r Kirstin Linnenkoper

RESEARCH

PIONEER __
_________

SUPPORT FR
OM

Electric car
battery rec

ycling

Norweg

ian Univer-

sity of Scie
nce and Te

chnology

Sulalit Band
yopadhyay

58

58_inthelab.indd 58 15-01-20 14:38