Electrification will rapidly increase the need for batteries. A new
solution by Nordic clean energy company Fortum makes over 80% of
the electric vehicle (EV) battery recyclable, returns the scarce
metals back into circulation and resolves the sustainability gap by
reducing the need to mine cobalt, nickel, and other metals.
“There are very few working,
economically viable technologies for recycling the majority of
materials used in lithium-ion batteries. We saw a challenge that
was not yet solved and developed a scalable recycling solution
for all industries using batteries,” says Kalle Saarimaa, Vice
President, Fortum Recycling and
Waste.
According to one forecast by the
International Energy Agency, the number of electric vehicles
(EVs) on the world’s roads will increase from 3 million to 125
million by 2030. Batteries powering electric vehicles consume
huge amounts of plastics, metals and scarce minerals. The current
EU regulation on the recycling rate for batteries is only 50% of
the total weight of the battery. That is not enough to capture
the valuable materials in the
batteries.
A new kind of recycling
solution
Fortum achieves the high recycling
rate of 80% with a low-CO2 hydrometallurgical recycling process.
The batteries are first made safe for mechanical treatment, with
plastics, aluminium and copper separated and directed to their
own recycling processes.
The chemical and mineral
components of the battery form a ‘black mass’ that typically
consists of a mixture of lithium, manganese, cobalt and nickel in
different ratios. Of these, nickel and especially cobalt are the
most valuable, but also difficult to
recover.
Fortum has a unique recovery
process, involving chemical precipitation methodology that allows
these minerals to be recovered and delivered to battery
manufacturers to be reused in producing new batteries. This
technology was developed by the Finnish growth company
Crisolteq.
Most of today’s recycling
solutions for EV batteries are not able to recover these scarce
metals. Together with Crisolteq, Fortum already has a
hydrometallurgical recycling facility in Harjavalta, Finland,
where the black mass is treated on an industrial
scale.
“Circular economy in its
strictest sense means recycling an element to its original
function or purpose. When we discuss the recycling of lithium-ion
batteries, the ultimate aim is for the majority of the battery’s
components to be recycled to new batteries,”
Saarimaa continues.
Fortum is also piloting so-called
‘second life’ applications for batteries; in these applications,
the EV batteries are used in stationary energy storages after
they are no longer fit for their original
purpose.
Scarce minerals back into
circulation
If the forecasts on the increase
in the number of EVs by 2030 hold true, it would mean an 800%
increase in the demand for nickel and manganese and a 150%
increase in the demand for cobalt for the production of new
batteries. These scarce metals are mined from very few locations,
and mining them would increase the greenhouse gas emissions from
their production by 500%.
Using recycled materials reduces
also the CO2 emissions from battery production up to
90%.
“Limited availability and the
environmental impacts of mining mean that recycling these scarce
elements back to battery manufacturing is key to reducing the
environmental impacts of battery use throughout the lifecycle. If
we don’t get the materials back into circulation, we will run out
of materials,” concludes
Saarimaa.
Join the change for a
cleaner world
Achieving a true circular economy
for batteries depends on synergic partnerships with battery
manufacturers, the car industry, recycling companies and
start-ups. The EU can also play a significant role in setting
ambitious recycling targets for batteries. Fortum’s invitation to
“Join the change for a cleaner world” goes out to everyone
committed to solving the sustainability challenges related to
using, manufacturing and recycling
batteries.
