Unlocking Value: The Potential of Recycling Lithium from Used EV Batteries

Date: 2025-08-19 Categories: Industry News

Excerpt:

Used EV batteries retain nearly 80% of their lithium, offering a sustainable alternative to mining. Recycling is more eco-friendly, recovering valuable metals like nickel and cobalt.

A new study by researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia, published on August 14th in the Journal of Environmental Management, suggests that spent electric vehicle (EV) lithium batteries contain a significant amount of recoverable and reusable lithium.

Key findings include:

High Lithium Content: Discarded lithium batteries that are no longer suitable for EVs can retain nearly 80% of their lithium capacity, which is still highly usable.
Sustainable Alternative to Mining: Recycling these batteries offers a practical and sustainable alternative to traditional lithium mining, which has substantial environmental impacts.
Environmental Benefits of Recycling:
- Produces approximately 61% less carbon compared to mining.
- Reduces energy consumption by 83%.
- Decreases water usage by 79%.
Economic and Social Advantages: Beyond environmental benefits, recycling lithium batteries also presents significant socioeconomic advantages.
Recovery of Other Valuable Materials: The recycling process can also yield high-purity lithium (close to 99%), as well as nickel and cobalt.
Growing Supply of Waste Batteries: The global lithium-ion battery market is projected to grow at 13% annually, with lithium consumption expected to reach about 1.6 million tonnes by 2026. Australia alone anticipates up to 137,000 tonnes of discarded lithium batteries annually.
Economic Opportunity: Investing in recycling infrastructure could create a profitable new niche market in the energy sector, provided it evolves with technological advancements in lithium-dependent industries.