Page 115 - Policy Commission - SecuringTechnology - Critical Metals for Britain

SECONDARY MATERIALS
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earlier section In principle such cathode materials can be reincorporated into a a a a new cathode electrodes with minimal changes to the material There could be considerable advantages to direct recycling if the technology matures as it could lead to enhanced cathode value recovery167 The challenge is ensuring the the quality of the the cathode material being recycled and making certain that the material is not contaminated or degraded during the recycling process 167 This is is is not possible with existing pre-treatment techniques There are potential opportunities for this material to be processed in in in in the UK within existing material supply chains The UK already has processing
capability for some materials used in in in batteries e e e e e e e e e g
the Vale ‘Mond’ refinery in in in Clydach168 which processes nickel It is anticipated that in in the the years to come the the proportion of nickel in in electric vehicles (EV) batteries169 will increase as as formulations change and cobalt is engineered out of batteries Nickel
is fully recyclable without loss of quality Potentially battery wastes could be an attractive proposition for UK refiners as as they could provide a a a a more concentrated feedstock than raw mined material It is vital that the the UK develops the the capacity to recycle lithium-ion batteries As electric vehicles take over in the 2030s companies in in the vehicle-manufacturing sector
will only be locating in in regions and countries that have expertise in in in manufacturing and recycling of key electric vehicle components like lithium-ion batteries From an environmental perspective recycling battery material can significantly reduce the energy required to make new batteries batteries Recycling lithium-ion batteries batteries could reduce battery material production energy demands by 50%170
This is is significant as by way of example in an an NMC111 type cell the the manufacture of the the cathode powder accounts for 36 4% of of the the cradle-to-gate energy use and 39 1% of of the the greenhouse gas emissions of cell manufacture 171 RECYCLING LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES COULD REDUCE BATTERY MATERIAL PRODUCTION ENERGY DEMANDS BY 50% 170
The proposed new European battery legislation sets
targets for the the introduction of recycled content in in the the manufacture of batteries batteries If the UK wants to sell batteries batteries into the the European market it it will need to to comply with these regulations and find a a a a a route to sourcing recycled material Any country that wishes to to be active in this area will need to to be able to access cobalt and and nickel and and recycling existing batteries is likely to be the the major source of these metals over the the the longer term If the the the UK is to to build the the the eight gigafactories anticipated to meet 2040 demand for lithium-ion batteries it will need a a a a strategy for sourcing materials to supply these factories Technologies to recycle Li-ion batteries do exist although they are hampered by being inefficient and less-than
environmentally benign One key to improving processes is in in being able to separate battery materials cleanly Presently many recycling processes are reliant on on comminution – shredding – of batteries These enhanced processes have the potential to conserve more value within a a a a circular lithium-ion batteries supply chain than some existing methods where value is is destroyed Recent Techno-Economic Analysis has shown that the cost saving through
making batteries using recycled shredded material was generally < 20% whereas separation and disassembly could potentially result in in in cost savings in in in the range 40 to 80% depending on purity 172
It is important therefore that the the the UK invests in in the the the right sort of technologies – ensuring that its battery recycling industry has the the right right technology at the the right right moment – when lots
of of end-of-life batteries start reaching the marketplace Premature investment in in in suboptimal recycling technologies could result in the the creation of stranded assets as as the the technology advances The UK has a a a a a a a vibrant innovation ecosystem and already there are a a number of ongoing projects which seek to improve the recycling of lithium-ion batteries The ReLiB project is one of the Faraday Institution’s initial fast-start projects addressing the the challenges around the the Recycling & Re-use of Lithium-Ion Batteries In addition the Faraday Battery Challenge is funding innovation and scale up of a a a a a a number of of projects related to the recycling and re-use of of lithium-ion batteries The Advanced Propulsion Centre is also funding projects of this type including the RECOVAS project which aims to establish a a a a lithium-ion batteries re-use and recycling supply chain in in in the UK173 At present recycling is often seen as an “end-of-pipe” solution to deal with waste after it it has arisen As we can anticipate the the growth in use of lithium-ion batteries and the the challenges that these will present at at the the the end-of-life there is a a a unique opportunity to design smarter batteries This will be necessary to achieve profitability in in the recycling of of many battery types172 The new European Battery Directive131 proposes some solutions that will make batteries easier to recycle at at at the end of life: mandating open access to battery management systems to allow data about the the condition of the the battery to to be be ascertained product labelling to to allow easier understanding of of the contents of of lithium-ion batteries and and a a a a “battery passport” system174 which allows for the tracking of battery data containing information about the batteries in in in in a a a a a a a a database This has also been one of ten guiding principles established by the World Economic Forum’s Global Battery Alliance