![]() When a lithium-ion battery is providing power, a cluster of lithium ions moves from one crystalline “cage” (the anode) to another (the cathode). The DOE funded the new research as part of its massive effort to spur large-scale battery recycling innovations in the U.S. To ease the market’s growing pains, “recycling of lithium-ion batteries-getting that material back into the supply chain-is critical,” says Dave Howell, director of the DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office. The Department of Energy estimates the battery market may grow 10-fold over the next decade. At the time, he says, “some people joked with me, ‘There’s not enough batteries for you to recycle.’” That joke is not aging well. Yan Wang, a materials science professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and co-author of the new study, started researching battery recycling 11 years ago. Army Research Laboratory, who was not involved in the study. The team’s approach and successful demonstration are “very unique and very impressive,” says Kang Xu, an electrochemist at the U.S. In fact, batteries with the recycled cathode both last longer and charge faster. The researchers found that batteries they made with their new cathode-recycling technique perform just as well as those with a cathode made from scratch. Consequences could be serious, particularly in an application such as an electric vehicle.īut new research published in Joule has hit upon what experts describe as a more elegant recycling method that refurbishes the cathode-the carefully crafted crystal that is the lithium-ion battery’s most expensive component and key to supplying the proper voltage. ![]() Battery manufacturers have hesitated over concerns that recycled products may be lower in quality than those built from newly mined minerals, potentially leading to shorter battery life or damage to the battery’s innards. But recycling lithium-ion batteries has only recently made commercial inroads. And mining also creates a host of environmental headaches-such as depleting local water resources and polluting the nearby region with runoff debris-that have led to protests against new mines.Īll of this means the ability to recycle existing batteries is crucial for sustainably shifting the global energy system. Establishing new mines is an expensive, years-long effort. But all of the world’s current mining operations cannot extract enough lithium and other key minerals to meet skyrocketing demand for these batteries. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here.Īny changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel.Lithium-ion batteries are at the heart of nearly every electric vehicle, laptop and smartphone, and they are essential to storing renewable energy in the face of the climate emergency. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many user’s needs. If you’d like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for $69 per month.įor cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the “Settings & Account” section. ![]() ![]() For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital, click here.Ĭhange the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the “Settings & Account” section. Premium Digital includes access to our premier business column, Lex, as well as 15 curated newsletters covering key business themes with original, in-depth reporting. Standard Digital includes access to a wealth of global news, analysis and expert opinion. During your trial you will have complete digital access to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages.
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