LITHIUM ION BATTERIES

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the issue, supply and challenges. BY BETSY BECKWITH

Three options to reclaim this value are: 1) Remanufacturing for reuse in vehicles; 2) Repurposing by reengineering for an off-road, stationary storage application; and

3) Recycling, disassembling each cell in the battery and safely extracting the precious metals, chemicals and other byproducts.

The report notes that progress has been made in developing each of these post-vehicle-application areas including assessing the profitability of each (http:// transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research1137-post-vehicle- Li-Ion-recycling.pdf).

In addition, studies conducted by the United States Department of Energy (DOE), reveal that widespread battery recycling would keep hazardous materials from entering the waste stream, both at the end of a battery’s useful life, as well as during its production. Work is currently under way by DOE to develop bat- tery-recycling processes that minimize the life-cycle impacts of using lithium-ion and other kinds of batter- ies in vehicles.

46 Automotive Recycling | March-April 2015

Join the conversation about Lithium Ion Batteries in electric vehicles –

or Recycling A

recent report by the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium, entitled, Remanufacturing, Repurposing, and Recycling of Post-Vehicle- Application Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs)estimates that by the year 2035 there will be somewhere between 1.3 million and 6.7 million worn-out EV hybrid and plug-in vehicle batteries in the U.S. that have additional economic value.

The Rechargeable Battery Association (PRBA) – which was granted official observer status by the United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of Chemical Classification and Labeling – however, is extremely concerned about the safe management of these products and sup- ports the practice of reconditioning lithium ion cells and batteries only if the following conditions are met:

a. The entity reconditioning the cells and batteries is the original manufacturer of the cells or batteries or has direct knowledge of the cell degradation charac- teristics and safety systems that are necessary to main- tain safe operation of cells in the anticipated application and is authorized to recondition the cells or batteries by the original cell manufacturer; b. Except for reconditioned batteries shipped for testing purposes, batteries are tested or retested, as applicable, in accordance with the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria;