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The proliferation of electronic consumer goods, industrial and commercial equipment and, increasingly, electric vehicles (EVs) is creating an enormous flow of end-of-life batteries. Only a small percentage of these batteries is collected and recycled.

Batteries that flow into waste streams create enormous danger to the environment and to those collecting and handling waste. At the same time, those batteries are packed with valuable and scarce raw materials.

As stored power becomes more important to society, recycling batteries to harvest their raw materials, protect the environment and protect assets is essential.

This unique event examines the issues surrounding battery recovery and recycling.

Critical metals: In demand

Projected demand growth for critical metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, aluminum and others required for battery production is, in some cases, expected to grow threefold by 2030. This demand-side curve creates a tremendous economic incentive for recovering and marketing the materials from existing batteries.

Danger to society

End-of-life batteries pose a tremendous threat to society. Improperly disposed of, they can create toxic material flows that contaminate the natural environment. Those that end up in general waste or traditional recycling streams also have been linked to tragic fires, creating a terrible societal cost in human life and property damage and destruction.

Recycling: A sustainable solution

Society’s stored power requirements will continue to grow and diversify. This underpins the ongoing growth in battery use. As these batteries reach end-of-life, they must be properly recovered and recycled.

Proper recycling safeguards the environment and produces valuable raw materials essential for green power to thrive.