As electric vehicles (EVs) grow, recycling and recovery technologies for EV batteries and the crucial raw metals required in their manufacture are becoming a more relevant research topic. A combination of thermal pretreatment and hydrometallurgy is one technology that is now gaining a lot of attention. Therein, aqueous chemistry is employed to recover metals. Several firms are developing systems that will exploit this combination.
According to new scientific research detailing an optimal recycling method, recycling electric car batteries can be easier, cheaper, and more ecologically beneficial. It has been carried out by some of the world's leading experts in the subject. It constitutes an important step towards the future electromobility society as well as Electric Vehicle Battery Management System Market.
The study determined that these companies employ vastly disparate temperatures and timeframes in their operations. Moreover, they stated a significant need for a comparison study to find the best thermal treatment and hydrometallurgical technique for recycling lithium-ion batteries.
Researchers discovered that the hydrometallurgical process might be carried out at room temperature. This has never been tested before. However, it has the potential to provide significant benefits in terms of reduced environmental effects and lower costs for recycling batteries. The process can also be completed far faster than previously imagined.
The research has the potential to make a significant difference for developers in this area. In other circumstances, it might be as simple as lowering the temperature from 60 to 80 degrees Celsius to room temperature and from many hours to 30 minutes.
The researchers looked into how the various steps—thermal pretreatment and hydrometallurgy—affect each other. A significant comparison was established between two methods of thermal pretreatment, incineration and pyrolysis. The latter is devoid of oxygen and so more environmentally friendly, and the researchers decided that it produced the best results.
In order to fulfil the impending massive demand for battery recycling, the current procedures must be made as effective and efficient as possible. Therefore the present study provides essential knowledge for the producers and operators of this technology. The technique presented here can also be applied to improve the recycling of all types of lithium-ion batteries.