Battery Recycling Significantly Reduces Costs and Environmental Impact

New study analyses the entire battery cell value chain

10 January 2024 – In their new study, Prof. Dr Jens Leker from Helmholtz Institute Münster (HI MS; IEK-12) of Forschungszentrum Jülich and the University of Münster and Dr Moritz Gutsch from Helmholtz Institute Münster analyse the entire battery value chain.

Costs and CO₂ Emissions

The results show that the production of one kilowatt hour of lithium-ion battery cells (LIB) at a site in the USA results in costs of 94.5 US dollars and CO₂ emissions of 64.5 kilograms. Battery cells based on NMC811 graphite were analysed.

Recovering Valuable Raw Materials

Hydrometallurgical recycling, a metal extraction and refining process that utilises the material-specific solubility of the elements and their compounds at low temperatures, can be used to recover and reuse battery cell materials, especially copper, lithium, graphite, nickel and cobalt.

Although the recovery of the material initially increases the costs and CO₂ emissions of production by a further five to ten per cent, reuse leads to a cost saving of 45 per cent and a reduction in CO₂ emissions of 35 per cent across the entire value chain.

Entire Value Chain Analysed

The fact that a study has analysed the entire battery value chain is new in battery research. “In addition to the potential cost and CO₂ savings through recycling, the method allows us to recognise the influence of individual changes in the process. For example, the reduction of rejects through higher production quality on costs, CO₂ emissions and other environmental categories,” explains Gutsch.

In order to remain competitive on the international market, European battery production must have good environmental compatibility and low CO₂ emissions. The new study shows how costs can still be kept reasonable.

Study Available in Applied Energy

The researchers Prof. Dr Jens Leker from Helmholtz Institute Münster (HI MS; IEK-12) of Forschungszentrum Jülich and the University of Münster as well as Dr Moritz Gutsch from Helmholtz Institute Münster have published the detailed results of their study as an open access article in the journal Applied Energy.