U.S. invests US$20.5 million to promote lithium-ion battery recycling
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced plans to invest US$20.5 million in recycling lithium-ion batteries. Its goal is to increase the recycling rate to 90%, while the current rate is less than 5%.
These investments include 1500 for the establishment of a new lithium battery Ru0026D and recycling center in cooperation with Argonne National Laboratory, U.S. Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Ten thousand U.S. dollars.
The remaining US$5.5 million will be used as a reward fund for the “solution to collect, store and transport waste lithium-ion batteries for final recycling” competition. The U.S. Department of Energy stated that the competition “is aimed at accelerating the development of solutions from concept prototypes to demonstration projects.”
US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry (RickPerry) The news was announced at the meeting of the US Energy Innovation Council, the bipartisan policy center, in Washington, DC. This is in line with the Trump administration's priorities outlined in the 2017 executive order, which has repeatedly emphasized the value of promoting the recovery and reprocessing of 'critical minerals.' Lithium and cobalt, as key resources for batteries, are also included in the 'key minerals' list.
'Our goal is to recycle and utilize the key materials of lithium batteries that are widely used by society. Our goal is to encourage companies to recycle up to 90% of the lithium batteries to reduce these Material dependence. This will strengthen energy security, expand economic benefits, and strengthen national security.' Perry said at the event.
With the popularity of batteries in electric vehicles, personal electronic products and other products, it is expected that the sales and utilization rate of batteries will increase in the next few years. This demand has attracted more and more attention from enterprises and government departments.
In 2018, China launched battery recycling pilots in 17 cities and regions, and began to formulate new policies to support further growth. In the United States, Tesla claims to have found a way to reduce its use of metallic cobalt in electric vehicle batteries. In addition, automakers Toyota and Matsushita Battery Co. have announced the establishment of a joint venture to develop and manufacture automotive batteries.
Although there is a strong interest in the application and recycling of lithium-ion batteries around the world, in the United States, lithium battery recycling is generally regarded as an expensive option. Some American companies (such as battery manufacturers in Massachusetts) are actively working to change this situation. This is in sharp contrast to lead-acid batteries, which have a recycling rate of approximately 99% and are disposed of in accordance with US federal regulations. Currently, only one state in the United States requires the recycling of all lithium batteries.
The US Department of Energy stated in a press release that its goal is to develop advanced technologies that can achieve a 90% lithium-ion battery recovery rate, which shows that market-driven solutions are better than regulatory solutions Program. Regardless of the method used, any major progress in scaling up recycling solutions will be a boon for the waste and recycling industry. In addition to electric vehicles, used lithium-ion batteries are also part of the rapid growth in electronic waste, and have caused many fires due to improper handling.
