Recycling and Disposal of Lithium Batteries

Lithium Battery Recycling

At Flash Battery, environmental sustainability has always been a priority. We firmly believe that being truly sustainable means more than just moving away from fossil fuels. It’s about a journey that respects the environment through better production processes and efficient recycling and disposal of lithium batteries.

Did you know that over 96% of a battery’s materials can be recovered?
Currently, the number of batteries reaching the end of their life is still low due to their long lifespan, typically lasting 15 to 20 years. This makes significant investments in large-scale recycling facilities premature at the moment. Despite this, several pilot projects are already proving the high recyclability of battery materials. Over the next 5 to 10 years, we anticipate the launch of more gigafactories in Europe focused on battery recycling.

In addition, battery recycling is often seen as Europe’s ‘urban mine’ because it allows the recovery of valuable materials and reduces reliance on imports. This idea is central to the European strategy for a circular economy, which aims to turn waste from used lithium batteries into resources, lessen the environmental impact of extraction, and promote sustainable material management.

Manufacturers play a pivotal role in this process. Selecting the right raw materials and designing effective solutions are essential to making future recycling processes straightforward and efficient. At Flash Battery, our production process is free of polluting stages, and we have an energy autonomy of 80%. Additionally, our engineering focuses on designs that simplify disassembly and recovery of materials from end-of-life batteries.

lithium-battery-recycling | Flash Battery

European Regulations and Directives on Lithium Battery Recycling With the exponential increase of

With the exponential increase of electric vehicles, the European Union has set a new strategic goal: to boost the circular economy and enhance the sustainability of products and processes in the battery sector. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, which addresses batteries and battery waste, came into effect on 17 August 2023. This regulation sets out requirements for sustainability, safety, labelling, marking and information to ensure that batteries can be placed on the market and operated within the European Union. It also establishes minimum criteria for extended producer responsibility, battery waste collection and treatment, and communication.

BMS and European Battery Passport

The regulations for proper battery recycling and disposal are extensive. These include the introduction of a European battery passport with a QR code, ensuring easy traceability of each battery. Additionally, there’s an obligation to provide information on the battery’s state of health and expected service life via the Battery Management System (BMS).

Measuring the Carbon Footprint of Batteries

The European battery regulation also mandates the calculation of the carbon footprint for the full cycle of batteries and requires reporting through relevant declarations. Furthermore, it has been established that in the future, each product will need to comply with a maximum footprint threshold.

End-of-Life Battery Recycling and Recovery

To promote the circular economy, specific end-of-life requirements have been established. These include goals and obligations related to the recovery of materials from used batteries. Key measures include labelling that mandates sending waste to specialised facilities and ensuring detailed traceability of the type and quantity of raw materials used throughout the battery’s entire production cycle, including the entire supply chain.

Ultimately, the final goal is for every newly manufactured battery to contain a defined amount of recycled material.

recycling-industry-responsibility-waste-disposal | Flash Battery

Recycling: Industry-Level Responsibility for Waste Disposal

The European Battery Regulation has made the recycling and recovery of lithium battery materials a duty for the entire battery value chain.

From manufacturers to importers, all parties involved in selling batteries in Europe are responsible for their recycling. They must adhere strictly to the guidelines and standards established by the Regulation.

lithium-ion-cell-structure | Flash Battery

Structure and Composition of Lithium Batteries

To truly understand how end-of-life lithium battery recycling and recovery processes work and how they can be optimised, it’s essential to grasp the internal structure of one of the battery’s key components: the cell.
Every lithium cell is composed of:

Two electrodes:

Cathode (positive pole). An aluminium sheet coated with cathodic material, such as NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt), LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate), LTO (Lithium Titanate) or others.
Anode (negative pole). A copper sheet coated with anodic material, usually composed of carbon or graphite.

Separator: a material, usually ceramic or polymer, placed between the two electrodes, acting as an insulator.

Electrolyte: an organic liquid containing lithium salt that fills the remaining volume in the cell and enables the intercalation of ions between the anode and cathode.

Despite having an exceptionally long life, lithium cells do degrade. Given the number of valuable materials they contain, setting up an appropriate recycling process for their components is not only an ethical action but also a genuine resource.

lithium-batteries-recycling-technologies | Flash Battery

Lithium Battery Recycling Technologies

Properly recycling lithium batteries not only reduces the environmental impact of the growing demand for electric vehicles but also makes it possible to recover valuable metals and components like copper, aluminium, lithium, cobalt, and manganese. This process generates resources and offsets the scarcity of minerals.

Various recycling processes exist today, which can be either physical or chemical, depending on the methods used to extract and separate battery materials. These processes include several phases. Regardless of the method used, the goal is the same: the more sorted and precise the starting material’s chemistry, the more efficient the recycling process will be.

This is why producers play a crucial role in considering the end-of-life stage during the design process, optimising production steps and creating batteries that are easy to disassemble and contain increasingly eco-friendly materials

Second-Life Lithium Batteries: Reconditioning May Not Be the Most Efficient Choice

Studies are increasingly exploring the possibility of giving lithium batteries a second life by reusing them in applications like energy storage after their use in electric vehicles has ended. While this practice is intriguing, it might not be the best choice for the future.

For example, automotive batteries need to be replaced when they lose about 20% of their initial capacity to avoid reducing the vehicle’s overall performance. These batteries still have some usable life left and can be employed in storage systems.

Yet, recent years have seen major cell manufacturers introducing a minimum remaining state of health (SOH), typically set at 70%, within which cells can be safely reused.

Considering the rapid technological advancements in batteries, the higher risks associated with using low-SOH batteries, and the high recycling rates achievable (> 96%), the future is likely to favour using materials from recycled cells to create new batteries with enhanced performance and safety, than adopt second life practices.

Would you like to talk to us about your electrification project?

Get in touch Request an assessment