The lithium-ion battery waste problem, which has grown rapidly in recent years with the widespread use of electric vehicles and portable electronic devices, poses new challenges for the environment and economy.
According to reports shared by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), it is estimated that approximately 900 thousand tons of lithium-ion batteries have completed their useful life and become waste by 2025 worldwide.
According to the predictions in the reports, this number is expected to reach 11 million tons worldwide in 2030, while the environmental problems caused by batteries are seen as a problem that needs to be solved already for many states.
YTU Faculty of Chemistry and Metallurgy, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department faculty members Prof. Dr. Metin Gençten, Assoc. Dr. Burak Birol and Dr. As a solution to this problem, Sezgin Yaşa developed an innovative method that allows the recovery of materials used in battery production, especially cobalt sulfur, from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries.
This innovative method, registered by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, offers a solution that focuses not only on eliminating the problem but also on reproduction.
Other substances, especially cobalt sulphide, are recovered from the cathode material obtained from used batteries through chemical processes. The resulting material can be used in a wide range of applications, from energy storage systems to sensor technologies.
With the method they developed, researchers aim to both reduce the waste burden that harms the environment and produce a valuable raw material for industry. This approach transforms recycling processes from a cost item into an economic opportunity.
While the method reveals Türkiye’s potential in environmental technologies and sustainable production, it also offers a solution model that draws attention to the increasing problems around the world regarding lithium-ion battery waste.
“Approximately 1 million tons of lithium-ion battery waste is generated every year.”
Speaking to AA correspondent on the subject, Prof. Dr. Metin Gençten said that his own working ideas emerged by taking previously working systems as a source.
Gençten stated that lead can be recycled to a large extent, but this recycling has not yet become fully widespread in lithium systems.
Gençten stated that about 5-6 years ago, when the amount of lithium battery waste started to increase, they started working on the question of whether the active materials in these batteries could be recycled and reused. “First, we worked on the recycling of lithium cobalt oxide-based batteries, and then we delved into different lithium-based battery chemistries and asked, ‘Can we convert all the components here into a reusable form?’ We set out. At this point, our first work was on the reuse of active materials in super capacitors. This was in the form of precipitating metals as sulphides and recovering them. However, in our further work, the recycling of anode and cathode materials directly found in lithium-ion battery chemistry has become our main working point.” he said.
Pointing out that one of the main starting points is the amount of waste generated annually, Gençten said:
“Currently, approximately 1 million tons of lithium-ion battery waste is generated every year. Most of this waste consists of waste batteries such as mobile phones and laptops for domestic use. However, electric cars have become very widespread in recent years and due to the increasing number, a large amount of lithium-ion battery waste will emerge in the near future. We focused on whether these wastes can be re-used as a resource for primary use. Again, NMC cathode from Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) batteries “We set out to recover and synthesize the active ingredient, the LFP cathode active ingredient from Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries, and the graphite used in the anode component.”
“It means providing an important resource to the country’s economy.”
Emphasizing that their work can make a great contribution to the country’s economy, Gençten said, “Lithium is a critical resource, it is not a metal that is produced in every country. Therefore, we think of the waste here as a resource. There are significant amounts of components such as lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt in the structure of a lithium-ion battery. Nickel is a valuable transition metal, a metal of economic importance. Cobalt is a metal that is produced in Africa and unfortunately some human situations occur during production. Manganese is the same way. It is important to bring them back into the economy.” It becomes an issue.” he said.
Pointing out that the materials in waste batteries are actually of high purity, Gençten said, “What you call a waste battery does not contain a high level of impurities like what you get from a normal mine. It mainly contains the components we mentioned in pure form. Therefore, the effective recycling of all of these metals means providing an important resource to the country’s economy.” he said.
Noting that storing waste batteries is a great risk and economic loss in terms of both safety and the environment, Gençten said:
“We can effectively recycle these metals and use them in cathode material synthesis with high efficiency to eliminate external dependency. Because in the structure of an electric car, between 400-800 kilograms of battery, lithium ion battery is used, depending on its average capacity and range. Depending on its capacity, this includes approximately 10 kilograms of lithium, separately 40-50 kilograms of manganese, nickel, cobalt, and 50-100 kilograms of graphite. “By recycling the active components, the batteries produced can be reused in all areas suitable for their primary use, especially in mobile phones and electric vehicles. Eliminating external dependency in this regard is a great potential. I think we are at a good point in terms of collecting lithium ion battery waste due to our location.”
Gençten stated that the concept of waste has changed significantly and said, “Most of the components that we consider as waste used in processes or process waste used in a material are either the input of another system or can be recycled and turned into components suitable for primary use. In today’s world, this concept set, which we call waste, needs to be viewed in this way. Each of them has a recyclable and economic potential. If we approach materials in this way, I think we will take an important step in terms of a sustainable world.” he said.
“If we produce it again by recycling, we will keep the raw material in our country.”
Assoc. Dr. Burak Birol said that under normal conditions, metals and materials are used from natural resources called ore, that when these resources are used, the raw material is found in low amounts in the ore, and a great deal of energy is spent in metal production.
Stating that metals and materials are used for a while after they are obtained and then their lifespan expires, and these materials are called waste over time, Birol said, “However, there are large amounts of these metals in these wastes. Reusing them as raw materials provides the opportunity of production with less energy and higher purity compared to production from ore.” he said.
In this way, compared to normal mining, this application called city mining offers the opportunity to obtain high quality products at a lower cost. Birol said, “It is the same with batteries. Batteries contain a large amount of nickel, manganese, cobalt and lithium. The mining of each of these requires high energy and labor and is limited in various countries. However, if we produce it again by recycling, that is, city mining, we can keep the raw material in our own country and produce cheaper and higher quality.” he said.
Stating that every material and product used today contains a battery, Birol said:
“Increasing electric vehicles, solar panels, which we call sustainable energy… The energies obtained from wind turbines accumulate in batteries, and over time, these batteries will become waste again. If these materials are evaluated as raw materials before they become waste, both external dependency will be reduced and these resources will be kept within the country. Especially the zero waste approach is of great importance in this regard. Because these waste batteries are harmful to the environment. Recycling is gaining an important place in order to prevent the damage they cause to the environment.”
