Between 2000 and 2018, the number of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) manufactured was multiplied by 80.
In 2018,66% of themwere used in electric vehicles (EVs).
This situation raises many questions related to the materials used to manufacture these batteries: what resources are involved?
What are the environmental impacts of extracting them?
Can they be recycled?
The exact chemical composition of these storage components is difficult to identify, as it is a trade secret.
These have all been identified as materials presentingsupply and environmental risks.
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What are the environmental impacts?
The question of the environmental impacts of battery manufacturing is perhaps even more important.
Even if there are enough materials, the impacts of their use must be seriously considered.
Studies show that battery manufacturing can haveserious impacts in terms of human toxicity or ecosystem pollution.
On top of this is the need to monitorlabour conditions in certain countries.
Could recycling the materials provide solutions to limit these risks and impacts?
There aretwo main families of battery recycling processes, used separately or in combination.
In both cases, the batteries must first be ground to a powder.
This material is so precious that recovering it ensures the economic profitability of the current LIB recycling sector.
Furthermore, the definition of this end of life is in itself subject to discussion.
Can EV batteries have a second life?
The first issues for this relate to the reconfiguration needed for batteries and their electric monitoring mechanism.
Next, applications must be identified for these batteries with reduced capacity.
Forthcoming European research programmes are also positioned in this area, including theenvironmental dimension of new battery development.
