Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is part of a £4.5m research project to establish a process for recycling or reusing electric batteries to help prevent up to nine million gallons of battery waste from going to landfill a year.
A £582,000 grant has been awarded to the University’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing Engineering Center (ADMEC) as part of REBELION-EUROPE, which aims to give lithium-ion batteries from used electric vehicles a “second life” or recycle them. more effectively
Research shows that with refurbishment, most EV batteries can last another ten years after their capacity drops below 75 percent. However, most lithium batteries are generally landfilled or incinerated, and many first-generation electric vehicles will soon reach the end of their useful lives.
The project, which is based on the European Horizon program and incorporates 11 organizations from across Europe, will also determine how recycling electric vehicle batteries could create a larger source of lithium on the continent.
Key development objectives include:
The NTU team will develop the information and technology (ICT) platform and infrastructure. The team will also develop methods in relation to battery traceability, digital machine patents, eco-labelling and eco-costing and eco-savings. The team will also contribute to lighting second life photography.
Professor Daizhong Su
Partners in the project include the Universitat Politechnica de Valenica, Accurec-Recycling, Sig de Raee Y Pilas Sociedad Limitada, Ona Product SL, National University of Distance Education, University of Birmingham, Fondazione Icones, Erion Energy, Erion Compliance Organization Scarl and Volkswagen Group Italia SPA.
Professor Daizhong Su, director of ADMEC, which is located in NTU’s School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment (ADBE), said: “With the increasing volume of electric vehicle batteries reaching the end of their useful life, there is a need for a fast and accurate way to fight the future of life.” It predicts that applications will maximize their second life.”
“Recycling is the most environmentally friendly way to treat batteries after their second life, and has the potential to turn them into a major economy in Europe, worth up to 23 billion per year, as the raw materials they contain can be used for further manufacturing.”
“This is an exciting project that has the potential to make the electric vehicle industry more sustainable and help prevent up to nine million tons of battery waste per year from ending up in landfills by 2040. We look forward to working with our partners to help deliver sustainable vehicles. Solutions for many challenges the future of the electric vehicle industry”.
