Inventors : Esther Gray, Dr Javier Rubio Garcia & Professor Manish Chhowalla, Materials Science & Metallurgy
The inventors have developed a novel method for recycling spent Li-ion batteries, which is faster and less energy intensive than existing approaches.
Currently spent batteries are shredded into a black powder which is rich in critical metals. This powder is then either heated to 1000 °C and the different metals are fractionally distilled to separate them, or it is heated from40 to 70 °C with sulphuric acid. Both these approaches are very energy intensive, slow and create hazardous waste and thus relatively expensive.
The new method can be carried out at room temperature, and is also quicker than the existing techniques, which should make it more cost-effective and more commercially-viable. While the inventors’ first area of focus is in the EV battery market, other applications are possible, which the i-Team may also choose to investigate.
The key question for the i-Team is to help the inventors navigate the complex industry of recycling and relevant legislation, interviewing experts to gather market feedback and make recommendations on the best route forward to turn this technology into a viable and successful commercial opportunity.