terview with C&EN. The reasons include things like technical constraints, economic barriers, logistic issues and regulatory gaps, to name but a few. At present, most suppliers and their clients are currently focusing on improving the battery’s lifespan and efficiency and lower their costs rather than seriously focusing on recycling them at the end of their lives. The most common method of recycling the batteries is to melt spent batteries at high temperatures to recover the precious metals within them. This takes a lot of energy and is actually more expensive than extracting and refining new materials from raw sources. Research is ongoing, but most efforts are still small-scale projects conducted by independent research groups or startups. However, some government initiatives have also been launched to attempt to stem the growing tide of used batteries. For example, in January 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the country’s first Li-ion battery recycling R&D cen-
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ter, the ReCell Center. The idea is to help make battery recycling profitable and allow the U.S. to become self-sufficient in battery resources it lacks, like cobalt. The U.S. DOE has also launched a $5.5 million Battery Recycling Prize to help encourage the free market to find innovative solutions for the collection, storage and recycling of spent batteries. Across the pond, in the UK, a group of researchers from various universities has also created a consortium to achieve a similar goal. Called the Reuse and Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries project, it brings together 50 scientists and engineers from eight institutions and 14 industry partners. What can be done to make EVs truly “green”? So, given the very real environmental impacts EVs have on the planet, what can be done to make them truly “green”? Here are some examples. 1. Dispense with Li-ion batteries altogether Since EV batteries are hazardous to the environment, from cradle
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to grave, the most logical step to take would be to stop using them altogether. However, this is a lot harder than it sounds. There are, after all, good reasons why Li-ion batteries have become so ubiquitous (as we detailed earlier). That being said, there are some potential avenues to explore. One example is the salt-based batteries currently under development through a collaboration between the University of Nottingham and six research institutes across China. By combining the performance of oxide fuel with metal-air batteries, these batteries could prove to be a viable replacement for Liion batteries. The best part? These batteries would be fully recyclable, affordable, safe and, in theory, “green.” Other interesting examples include titanium-nitride batteries or using the “wonder material” graphene. Other exciting initiates include a potential “never-ending” battery, too. Made from recovered and reused nuclear fuel, these batteries could last for more than 28,000 years, or so the developers claim.
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Currently in development by a California-based startup, these nano-diamond batteries are nearly indestructible and will be cheaper than existing Li-ion battery packs if they can be fully developed. Other more esoteric examples include eco-friendly, liquid batteries that run on vanillin. Currently in development by researchers at the Graz University of Technology, this interesting line of research would be truly sustainable. Another option could be by using Zinc-air batteries. These have been shown to significantly out-perform Li-ion batteries on all levels, and are also a lot better for the environment. However, it should be noted that zinc, if leaked into the environment, can be devastating for local ecosystems. 2. Make Li-ion batteries longer-lasting Another potential solution is to make the batteries as long-lasting as possible if a viable replacement for Li-ion is not found. This would help alleviate the need to extract new raw materials to replace spent batteries, and would also help reduce the need
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