Recycling critical raw materials in lithium-ion batteries: ZSW investigates cobalt, lithium and natural graphite recovery and reuse in new cells

Demand for raw materials is rising fast as the transportation and energy sectors’ appetite for large lithium-ion batteries continues to grow. The EU has designated some of these raw materials as critical: Cobalt, lithium and natural graphite. Today’s recycling processes can only recover some of the metals and lithium not at all. To prevent bottlenecks in raw material supply lines and to mitigate price risks, the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) is investigating how to best reclaim battery electrodes in a new project called RecycleMat.