Andrew WangDec 20, 2022

US/EU regulations on Li-ion recycling:

US: wild west do whatever

EU: 4% recycled Li in every battery by 2027

4% Li based on Li2CO3 demand is 90,000 Model 3's reaching end of life and being recycled (2027 feels early)

Is it better to regulate earlier or later in the development of an industry like this?

Show threadFlorian AhrensDec 20, 2022
@andrew Are there companies out there who actually recycle EV batteries? Big part of EV battery packs is as tight as possible volumetric density. This goes against principles of easy recyclability. Just because the EU claims some numbers for recycling does not mean they will actually do it.It is better to regulate earlier than later - by reducing cars in the transport mix.
Show threadAndrew WangDec 20, 2022
@floachim plenty of companies operating or planning on operating in the 1000-10,000+ ton per year range, tightly packed cells are an issue but folks claim to be able to directly shred them
Show threadFlorian Ahrens
@andrew interesting! Do you know how they intend to separate the shredded metals? Flotation processes? Last I checked it was feasible on a prototype scale but far away from managing even current volumes of batteries.
Dec 20, 2022 at 8:14pmWeb
Show threadAndrew WangDec 21, 2022
@floachim flotation, density/eddycurrent, selective leaching, hydrometallurgy similar to ore-refining are all employed in some combination at the scales I mentioned. Perhaps hard right now with mixes of all kinds of batteries but once EV cell waste ramps up I imagine it will standardize faster.