Powering up: Recycling critical metals from lithium batteries By Brook Thalgott Recycling and refining previously used metals are far better than starting a new mine, from both economic and environmental perspectives.
performance,” says Dr. Zhang. “These ‘dead’ batteries are now creating a fastgrowing environmental problem.”
As electric vehicle technologies advance and the energy transition continues, the demand for critical metals keeps rising. However, the primary resources for battery metals are not able to meet the growing demands for them. “The supply and demand for major metals, such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper, shows that demand will outpace supply in the next few years,” says Dr. Jack Zhang, director, Rare Earth Element Division and manager, Mineral Processing at SRC. “We may be facing a shortage of critical metals for batteries.” Critical metals are essential to telecommunications, computing, and clean energy—plus they are a valuable export commodity and vital to Canada’s technology sector and our supply chain. 24
Critical minerals at work Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) were first invented in 1985 and commercialized in 1991. Today they power electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy storage, consumer electronics, power tools, and more. Metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper are required to build LIBs and are found around the world. “However, the current supply chain is vulnerable because the majority of refining takes place in one spot,” says Dr. Zhang. Right now, that one spot is China. “It’s important for us to develop a more balanced supply of refined metals in North America.” At the end of their working life, LIBs end up as waste. “When a battery reaches the end of its life, it loses function and
Batteries clog landfills and present significant disposal issues due to their toxic components leaching out over time. At the same time, the demand for critical metal supply is increasing, posing its own environmental concerns for mining jurisdictions around the world. The technologies that require these new batteries (and the metals that power them) are developing faster than industry and governments are finding solutions for the waste. What if there was another way to source critical metals and address the environmental concerns around spent LIBs? Enter urban mining The term urban mining may sound like just another buzzword, but the idea behind it is simple—what if we recycle the usable elements of spent LIBs, thereby reducing their environmental impact and addressing the growing need for more critical metals? The idea of battery recycling is not a new one. It’s been happening for years, but it’s been focused on the ‘front end’, meaning diverting batteries from the landfill and disassembling the battery into individual components.
