Fantastiskt vad kul och inspirerande det är att ha sådana här samarbetspartners Louise Eriksson 🤗
Recycling batteries is about to get more expensive – and more ambitious. The new EU Battery Directive, along with the Critical Raw Materials (CRM) Act, sets ambitious targets for the recovery of metals from batteries and electronic waste. El-Kretsen, Sweden's extended producer responsibility organization for electronics, approached us and Stena Recycling to explore how to improve the recovery rate of critical raw materials from portable lithium batteries. Right now, the collection rate for all batteries in Sweden stands at 47%, but for rechargeable lithium ones, it's barely 10%. By 2027, new regulations mandate a 63% collection target for portable batteries and 50% recovery rate for lithium – a huge jump from where we are today. Currently, most portable batteries are processed using pyrometallurgy, a method that satisfies current recycling goals but it’s not future-proof. While it recovers cobalt, lithium and other critical materials are lost in the process. Our research has shown that there is a well-established technology already - hydrometallurgical processing. This process can separate lithium, cobalt, and nickel, significantly improving the recovery rate. But to do this, we need to first sort and deactivate the batteries – a process that, while feasible, comes with higher costs. Producers will need to invest more to cover these costs, especially since the market value of lithium is currently low. But if we want to meet the ambitious recovery goals the new directive sets, it's time for a change – and that change starts now. On the photo: Louise Eriksson, Principal at Stena Circular Consulting presenting project results at the annual El-Kretsen conference.