Current projections of future battery usage show that critical battery materials including cobalt, lithium, and nickel will become increasingly scarce over the next few decades. In response, battery recycling and battery materials recovery have become an issue of greater interest and importance. This tutorial will feature several battery recycling methods including hydrometallurgical, pyrometallurgical, and direct recycling along with an explanation of the key issues surrounding lithium-ion battery recycling. The speakers will cover common materials and methods, the best situations of utilization, and the current limitations and drawbacks of each method with a focus on safety, materials recovery, and industrial viability. Finally, current and future research surrounding battery recycling will be used to highlight how current progress can be applied to solve the impending problem of sustainable battery materials acquisition.
Battery pack construction is currently inefficient in terms of recyclability of critical battery materials (including cobalt, lithium, and nickel) and negative carbon emissions. In order to ameliorate the inefficiency, life cycle analysis has become a vital tool in the future manufacturing of batteries. This tutorial will feature several uses of life cycle analysis for battery production and recycling optimization. The speakers will cover basic algorithms for conducting battery pack life cycle analysis and the current limitations and drawbacks of current production methods in terms of safety, materials recovery, and industrial viability. Finally, current and future life cycle analysis research will be used to show how life cycle analysis can be used in the future to optimize battery production for sustainable battery pack production.

Moderator: Jarom Sederholm, UIUC
Presenters:
Ilias Belharouak, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Cheng Chen (University of California San Diego