SYDNEY, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Australian researchers are exploring lithium battery recycling, as rising demand for electric vehicles, electronics and renewables drives the need for sustainable supplies of this critical mineral.
New research from Australia's Edith Cowan University (ECU) highlights that recycling end-of-life lithium-ion batteries can reduce environmental impacts, secure future supply chains and support a sustainable circular economy, according to an ECU statement released Thursday on the Science Media Exchange website.
ECU PhD candidate Sadia Afrin, who co-led the study, said the global lithium-ion battery market is forecast to post a compound annual growth rate of 13 percent, reaching 87.5 billion Australian dollars (about 57.13 billion U.S. dollars) by 2027, with lithium consumption expected to quadruple to about 1,600 kilotons by 2026.
However, many batteries discarded from electric vehicles retain nearly 80 percent of their lithium capacity, according to the study published in the Journal of Environmental Management in London.
As the Australian Department of Industry, Science and Resources estimates the nation could generate 137,000 tons of lithium battery waste annually by 2035, the study's first author, ECU's Asad Ali said recycling this material could be worth between 603 million Australian dollars (about 393.72 million U.S. dollars) and 3.1 billion Australian dollars (about 2.02 billion U.S. dollars) annually.
"By recycling these batteries, you can access not only the remaining lithium, which already purified to near 99 percent, but you can also retrieve the nickel and the cobalt from these batteries," Ali said, adding recycling greatly cuts land use, pollution, resource footprints, emissions and waste.
Compared with mining, recycling emits up to 61 percent less carbon, uses 83 percent less energy and 79 percent less water, he said, adding hydrometallurgical recycling could yield profits of 27.7 Australian dollars per kg (about 18.08 U.S. dollars) of recovered lithium.
However, Afrin said shifting battery chemistries and slow policy delay recycling progress, urging major infrastructure investment as Australian companies pursue solutions. ■
