Recycling AAAs is one thing. But what happens when your trusty Prius’ battery goes kaput?
Perhaps in the future you can lug it to Argonne National Laboratory where scientists are charged up over a game-changing lithium-ion battery recycling center that would reduce U.S. dependence on other countries and cut green car costs.
Dubbed the ReCell Center, the facility aims to invent smarter ways to recycle and reuse the valuable materials in lithium-ion batteries that power everything from laptops to hybrid and electric vehicles.
“There’s a smattering of research in this area but it’s sporadic and all over the board geographically. The ReCell Center offers a location where people can come to use our expertise and equipment,” ReCell Center Director Jeff Spangenberger said.
Battery innards such as lithium mostly originate outside the U.S. and recycling is typically outsourced. Government officials hope the DIY project will spark a domestic industry and provide the U.S. with a reliable stream of recycled components as demand for hybrid and electric cars grows.
“These efforts will reduce our dependence on foreign sources of critical materials,” said Daniel R. Simmons, a U.S. Department of Energy assistant secretary.
Another fringe benefit: “Ultimately it will help people get cheaper electric vehicles,” Spangenberger noted.
Lithium-ion batteries emerged about two decades ago. Now that the cars and batteries are starting to reach the end of their lifelines, the timing is perfect to create a homegrown industry, officials said.
“This is an area of research that isn’t being done by companies currently because it’s high-risk, but there’s also a high reward potential,” Spangenberger said. Instead of companies investing in costly R & D, “we take that risk out.”
The Department of Energy has dedicated $15 million over three years to the ReCell Center at the Darien-based lab. There’s gold to be found in spent batteries — expensive ingredients such as lithium, graphite and cobalt mostly mined and processed in locations like South America, Australia and Africa, while a large amount of recycling occurs in China. Problematic political situations and trading partnerships with some countries underscore the need for a domestic industry, the Department of Energy said.
Researchers will use existing equipment and pioneer techniques to find shortcuts to restore the raw material and plug it into new batteries.
The project will include scientists and engineers from other national labs and the private sector. At the end of three years, the lab intends to offer a recycling model to spark U.S. battery production, officials said.
“No one person will solve this problem, we will rely on everybody’s work,” Spangenberger said.
