Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network
Breakthrough in Recycling EV Batteries Can Recover 100% of Aluminum and 98% of Lithium Thanks to Swedish Scientists
Photo of Léa Rouquette by Henrik Sandsjö
Swedish researchers say they have developed a new method of recycling batteries from electric vehicles that allows recovery of 100 percent aluminum and 98 percent lithium.
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have presented an efficient way to recycle metals from spent batteries and, at the same time, minimize the loss of valuable raw materials such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese.
Furthermore, no expensive or harmful chemicals are required in the process because the researchers use oxalic acid—an organic acid that can be found in the plant kingdom.
Rouquette produces both the powder and the liquid in something reminiscent of a kitchen mixer. Although it looks as easy as brewing coffee, the exact procedure is a unique scientific breakthrough. By fine-tuning temperature, concentration, and time, the researchers came up with a new recipe for using oxalic acid, an environmentally friendly ingredient that can be found in plants such as rhubarb and spinach.
“We need alternatives to inorganic chemicals. One of the biggest bottlenecks in today’s processes is removing residual materials like aluminum,” says Martina Petranikova, Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Chalmers. “This is an innovative method that can offer the recycling industry new alternatives and help solve problems that hinder development.”
The aqueous-based recycling method is called hydrometallurgy. In traditional hydrometallurgy, all the metals in an EV battery cell are dissolved in an inorganic acid. Then, you remove the “impurities” such as aluminum and copper. Lastly, you can separately recover valuable metals such as cobalt, nickel, manganese, and lithium. Even though the amount of residual aluminum and copper is small, it requires several purification steps, and each step in this process can cause lithium loss.
With the new method, the researchers reverse the order and recover the lithium and aluminum first. Thus, they can reduce the waste of valuable metals needed to make new batteries.
The latter part of the process, in which the black mixture is filtered, is also reminiscent of brewing coffee. While aluminum and lithium end up in the liquid, the other metals are left in the “solids.” The next step in the process is to separate aluminum and lithium.
“Since the metals have very different properties, we don’t think it’ll be hard to separate them. Our method is a promising new route for battery recycling – a route that definitely warrants further exploration,” says Rouquette, who published her results in the journal Separation and Purification Technology.
Petranikova’s research group is involved in various collaborations with companies to develop electric car battery recycling and is a partner in major research and development projects, such as Volvo Cars’ and Northvolt’s Nybat project.
The research was funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, BASE Batteries Sweden, Vinnova.
The good news here is the extensive mining of precious metals needed for EV batteries can be supplemented with recycled materials, offsetting the problem of supply and mining pollution. Today’s JohnKu talks about one issue with EV proliferation.
Electric Vehicles by John W. Howell © 2023
To power EVs,
Electricity needs rise . . .
Where’s it coming from?
Fiction Favorites 
Good find, John. Timely for me because i just read an article about Toyota researching solid state batteries … they hope to have available in 2027.
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Whatever type of battery is used needs to answer the mineral question. Thanks, Frank.
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We need this, badly. Ever since I learned about the batteries these EV’s use and how our emergency personnel do not even possess the equipment to deal with them in the event of an accident, I became even more dubious about the matter.
Good story, Boss.
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The rush to green that is the progressives obsession may kill us all. Glas sombody is working on ways to minimize the damage.
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You’re right. You’d swear these vehicles were made in a unicorn factory the way they’re selling it.
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I like the concept but the devil is in the details.People in California are being asked not to charge their cars during peak electrical usage times.
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Yeah, there’s so much nonsense involved. Too much if you ask me.
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Way too much.
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my brain melted alongside the pulverized materials but i took away the good news together with my overworked synapses!!
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I would love to see the pulverizer.
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Remarkable!
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It is Annette. Thank you.
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How wonderful that they are coming up with a solution. EV does not entice me whatsoever because of this very thing. If they have found a solution, all the better.
Excellent topic, John.
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Thank you, Dale. I’m with you.
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😊
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This is very good news, John. The best part is, “No expensive or harmful chemicals are required.” If it will help the cause, they can have my spinach.
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It would solve the resource problem for sure. Thanks for offering your spinach. I’m sure the group will consider it. 😁
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This is a great story. I like the idea of any renewable resource and the acid can be farmed. That is a nice option for farmers. Less junk in the landfill is another benefit.
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I see nothing but upside to this process. Thanks, Craig.
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A fantastic breakthrough for certain! Thanks for sharing this great news, John. Have a wonderful weekend. Hugs 🤗💕🙂
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Thank you, Harmony. I hope your weekend is filled with peace. 🤗
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This is certainly good news. Like Dale, I’m not interested in owning an EV. I cringe at the thought of worrying about something else losing its charge! Thanks for sharing, John.
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I’m with you and Dale on electric cars, Jill.
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😁
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So true, Jill. Who needs that worry?
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Right! What if you have to evacuate for a hurricane and there’s no power!😳😳
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Good point
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This is a good week for a Good News story, John. Thanks!
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Thanks, GP.
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Very cool. Keep wondering if I should go EV one day. Probably not for a few years though.
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Hard to predict for sure.
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Renewable, recyclable global products are a huge part of fighting climate change and keeping our only globe livable. If our products and infrastructure are not renewable, recyclable, and environmentally responsible we will suffer for it. This is the model for a sustainable future.
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I agree. Loads more work needs to be done on sustainable power too.
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Very interesting, John, and I love your JohnKu, too! 😀 ❤
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Thank you, Marcia. I appreciate your comment. Glad you liked it.
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Very good news indeed!
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Yes it is Susie. Thank you.
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This is fantastic, John. It will bring down the cost of the batteries. Now if there were only more fast charging stations!
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Someone else is working on a battery that charges in five minutes.
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This is very hopeful news, John. Thank goodness for these scientists – and for you alerting us to reasons for hope. 😊
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Yes. There are a number of scientists working on the issures of recycle and longer lasting, quick charging batteries. Thanks Gwen. Have a super weekend.
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Good news, John — thanks for sharing (and have a wonderful weekend!)
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You as well Debbie. 😁
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Maybe they can begin by recycling the Electric car huge grave yard in France then John… When we understand the amount of energy and resources it takes to mine these minerals for huge batteries… One has to question.. Lets hope Light at the end of the tunnel
Thank you for sharing x
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This is a start. You should see the EV graveyard in China.
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Yes That is even bigger I know… We are getting lots of Electrical Car fires with some of these batteries catching fire here in the UK… Including some public transport buses… Not good x
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Yes and sometimes the first responders don’t know how to handle the fires.
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Correct John, they do not behave as normal fires
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W are conducting our own durge.
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👍
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This us good news, John:) I hope they find more ways to use the things we usually just throw away.
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I agree. It would be terrific to stop having the need for landfills.
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Very good news, John, and so timely. My husband often talks about getting an EV vehicle but I’m still partial to hybrids like our Prius. I don’t like to put all my eggs in one basket if I don’t have to 🙂
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I think you are wise.
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This will help, that’s for sure. The more precious metal that gets recycled, the better.
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Yes. All that digging and pollution can’t be good for the environment.
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Exactly. I’ve read on CNET that, because of the energy used to mine and prepare the metals, it takes 3 years of operation for the CO2 an EV is responsible for be less than a gas vehicle.
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Wow that is amazing, Tim. Thanks for sharing.
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I don’t have any empirical data on that, John, but CNET is not a political organization, so I kind of trust their data. 😉
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Yeah i wouldn’t expect you to have the research handy. I think CNET can be trusted.
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Fantastic news! Hubby hasn’t had a positive opinion about the EV batteries, but this may change his mind.
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At least the promise is there for recycling.
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That is good news, John. Now if someone would discover what to do with all those enormous wind turbine blades. :
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Yeah. It would be nice to get rid of them.
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News like this makes the future a little brighter.
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It does. Thank you, Pam.
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This is good news. I just wish they would do a better job with EVs!!! The needing constant charging that takes time, the fires that can’t be put out, etc. What is this: the dark ages?! 🙂
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The technology is not ready for the kind of endorsements given by the Biden administration. The war on fossel fuels conducted by them will come back to bite us in the butt in my opinion
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I agree with this. Eagerness before brains is never a good idea.
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😁
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That’s great news, John. Science can do a lot to create messes and it’s wonderful when they also figure out how to clean them up. 🙂
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I agree, Diana. Great observation.
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I’m always grateful to scientists who figure out solutions to our earth-related challenges. Thanks for sharing this article, John!
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Since folks are moving way too fast on the war against fossil fuels I’m glad some adults are taking a serious look at the downsides of that move which is a tremendous waste of natural resources. Thanks, Barbara.
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Yes
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Glad to hear that there is some advancements in green energy. Thanks for sharing, John.
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Me too. Dealing with those minerals is a real problem.
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Terrific!
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I agree. 😁
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This is definitely good news, John! And I love your haiku too!
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Thank you, Lauren.
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😃
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Impressive news, dear John! How funny, the Associate Professor should be Russian. 🙂 Anyway, at least something that does not damage our planet…unlike weapons they use every day. 🤨😊🍤🍤🍤🍻🎃
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Shows there are great people everywhere.
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😉😉😉
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😊
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Excellent article, John. It’s this kind of news that gives me faith in science that mankind can solve the problems facing society regarding clean energy and preserving/protecting natural resources. Now, if mankind can only learn to get along, that’s the real challenge. Nice post, John.
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Yes, Getting along is a big problem, Steve.
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Interesting info and good to know!
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Good to know someone is working on the resource issue. They say the mining CO2 and power emissions take three years of EV operations to offset. That’s three years for every car.
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Good for them! The world keeps innovating. It’s stupendous. Makes me think we’ll all be okay. 🙂
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A good thought.
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#Hopeful 😉
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Yes indeed.
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Exactly – Re: the JohnKu
Hopeful message, thanks John!
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Thank you, Resa. 🤗
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