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Green future: Innovative recycling methods for electric car batteries!
The University of Münster is conducting research into environmentally friendly production and recycling methods for batteries at the MEET Battery Research Center.
Green future: Innovative recycling methods for electric car batteries!
The MEET battery research center at the University of Münster is conducting intensive research into the environmentally friendly production and recycling of batteries. Innovative approaches such as dry processing of electrodes could be groundbreaking for the industry. This method makes it possible to avoid expensive and toxic organic solvents. Instead, the high-temperature plastic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is used as a binder, which increases the sustainability of production.
A central goal of the research work is to integrate recycling options into the production processes. A promising method developed by a team at the university deals with recycling the dry-processed cathodes of lithium-ion batteries. This process is dry mechanical and uses mills to separate and granulate the cathode composite from the current collector. All components, such as active material, PTFE binder and conductive carbon black, remain in their original form and can be reused. The analysis of life cycle costs by the Institute of Economic Chemistry shows that this process is not only sustainable but also cost-effective for industrial applications. The results of this research were published in the specialist magazine “Advanced Energy Materials” and underline the importance of the topic in the current energy debate.
Growing demand for recycling solutions
BHS-Sonthofen offers a process that enables environmentally friendly and safe recycling of rechargeable batteries. In this recycling process, valuable raw materials such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese can be returned to the value cycle. These materials are essential to meet the growing demand for energy storage.
Circular economy for electric vehicles
Another important consideration is the rising lithium-ion battery recycling market, which is estimated to be worth $3.25 billion by 2024, with a CAGR of 22.5%. Experts expect that this market could even reach over $38 billion by 2032. The main drivers are not only the increasing demand for energy storage, but also falling prices for lithium-ion batteries and government regulations for environmentally friendly disposal.
A turnkey circular economy approach could strengthen the electric vehicle supply chain and reduce reliance on mined materials. At the same time, the industry is looking into the secondary use of batteries, which extends their lifespan and reduces waste. However, there are uncertainties about the condition of used batteries, which limits their reuse. The development of digital tools for recertification and assessment of battery health is therefore of great importance.
From 2027, the so-called battery pass will be introduced in Europe. This will provide comprehensive information on demo access, battery health and circular economy. Such developments are important to improve transparency and efficiency in the recycling process.
In summary, it can be seen that the approaches to the environmentally friendly production and recycling of batteries bring with them both opportunities and challenges. The limited access to raw materials and the high complexity of current supply chains require innovative solutions and strategies in order to achieve the ecological and economic goals.