Recycling of traction batteries

Recycling of Traction Batteries as a Challenge and Chance for Future Lithium Availability... 

Lead is used in batteries, inorganic chemicals, pipes, solders, electric wires, etc., but batteries accounted for 72% of the total usage of lead in 1997. Therefore it can be said that batteries play an important role in the recycling of lead. Lead-acid batteries are classified into motor vehicle batteries (for automobiles and motorcycles), industrial batteries (stationary batteries, traction batteries, etc.), small-size sealed batteries (for UPS and consumer products). Table 2.1 shows their shipments. 

The controversial debate about the future availability of lithium has led to various studies that have analyzed lithium s future supply situation within the context of strong demand for this raw material from future technologies such as traction batteries for electric mobility [20-22,47-49]. Many of these studies prospectively modeled future lithium demand and how that might exert an impact on the supply situation. In this context, lithium recycling is predicted to play an important role for its future availability and to significantly reduce the demand for the primary raw material (see Table 22.4). 

In light of the above explanations, the high RRs displayed in Table 22.4 might be appearing to be overestimated. It seems more likely that it will only be possible to recycle a fraction of the lithium contained in used traction batteries at an affordable economic expense and environmental cost in the future [64]. 

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