According to a new report by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia has the potential to lead the world in the re-use and recycling of lithium-ion batteries, if the nation controls its lithium-ion waste outputs.
On average Australia produces up to 3300 tonnes of lithium-ion battery waste, sourced by the growing demand for lithium-ion technology, which is used in vast quantities in common electronic and household devices.
According to the new report released by the CSIRO, titled ‘Lithium battery recycling in Australia’, the country’s extremely low battery recycling rates could be a thing of the past through a better understanding of the importance of recycling, improved collection processes, and by implementing ways to efficiently recycle materials in places such as homes and industries.
Lithium-ion battery waste is known to contain significant valuable resources like cobalt, graphite, lithium and other metals that have the potential to be recovered domestically and reused for other products.
“As a world leader in the adoption of solar and battery systems, we must responsibly manage our use of lithium-ion technology in support of our clean energy future, CSIRO has set out a pathway to do this,” CSIRO battery research leader, Dr Anand Bhatt shared.
“The value for Australia is three-fold. We can draw additional value from existing materials, minimise the impact on our environment, and catalyse a new industry in lithium-ion re-use/recycling,” Dr Bhatt explained.
The report states that ‘an effective recycling industry could stabilise global lithium supplies and assist with meeting consumer demand’.
At this moment, only 2 per cent of Australia’s annual 3300 tonnes of lithium-ion battery waste is recycled, with this waste growing by 20 per cent a year. It is predicted that this waste will exceed 100,000 tonnes by 2036 if Australia continues down this path. According to the report, if this waste is appropriately recycled, 95 per cent of components could be turned into new batteries or used in other industries, lowering that number significantly. In comparison, of the 150,000 tonnes of lead-acid batteries sold in 2010, 98 per cent were recycled in Australia.
Most of Australia’s battery waste is shipped overseas, and the waste that remains is sent to landfill, leading to potential fires, environmental contamination, and ultimately become a risk to human health.
“Currently we are racing towards a world where lithium batteries are a very big part of our energy supply, yet we have some real work to do to ensure we are able to recycle the end product once it has reached its use by date,” commented Australian Battery Recycling Initiative’s CEO Libby Chaplin, “the CSIRO report provides critical information at an opportune time given the discussions around how to shape a product stewardship scheme for the energy storage sector.”
The report found that research, government and the lithium industry must work closely to develop standards and best-practice solutions to this issue.
Further information on this report can be found here.