The world's lithium-ion battery recycling rate is far exceeding expectations. China and South Korea have emerged as emerging leaders in the lithium-ion battery recycling economy.
It is often quoted that the recycling rate of lithium-ion batteries is only 5%. In fact, this statistic originally came from a Friends of the Earth study, but it has been nine years since that report was published. Over the years, this data has been cited many times by the industry, even in an editorial in the April 2019 issue of Nature Energy.
The survey was published in Swedish this spring and again in English. There are many misconceptions and misunderstandings about the recycling of lithium-ion batteries, Merrill said. The current lithium-ion recycling rate in South Korea is reportedly much higher than the world's 5 percent.
Merrill's report claims that the data in his report is based on his survey and experience. While the recycling rate is generally considered significantly higher than 5%, it is clear to those who know the global battery industry and battery recyclers that the battery recycling rate is much higher than 5%. In fact, many companies in China and South Korea are recycling lithium-ion batteries.
Worldwide, more than 300 preliminary studies have been conducted on the separation and recycling of spent batteries and cathode materials. 70% of the studies have been conducted by battery manufacturers in China and Korea, and all active materials (including lithium metal) can be effectively recycled.
However, most studies have focused on lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) and lithium ternary (NCM) batteries. Less research has been done on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and lithium manganese oxide (LMO) batteries, which means that some of them are commonly used. Battery types with fixed energy storage may not be fully covered. Merrill believes that because the recycling process is effective, future research should focus more on how to integrate used batteries into the recycling supply chain.
"The challenge for battery recyclers in Europe and North America is how to use used batteries because Asian recycled batteries are more attractively priced," Merrill said this is a major development for U.S. and European batteries, but it is now more difficult. That's because many Asian battery recyclers are doing business in Europe."
The 57-page report offers some interesting findings that need to be published, including.
-Batteries in portable devices need to be sorted, which can be time-consuming. The recycling and utilization of batteries in grid storage systems and electric vehicles requires a higher level of skill.
-In Sweden, only about 16 percent of batteries are recycled at the end of their useful life, well below the country's 95 percent target. Europe exports a wide variety of portable electronic devices and batteries to China or South Korea, many of them at the end of their working life. Hans Eric Melin, author of the report, said, "The low recycling rate of lithium-ion batteries in Europe does not mean that the recycling rate of batteries in the world is low."
-In 2018, nearly 97,000 tons of lithium-ion batteries will be recycled globally, including about 67,000 tons in China and about 1,800 tons in South Korea.
-More than 50 companies worldwide recycle lithium batteries. Except for China and South Korea, the other companies are from the European Union, Japan, Canada and the United States.
-More than 30 companies in China recycle battery waste and generate waste. According to the survey, almost all of these companies use technology that is hydrometallurgical and produces products such as cobalt sulfate, nickel sulfate or lithium carbonate. Some companies also use the recycling process to produce NCM batteries or NCA battery cathodes.
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