According to data analyst ReportLinker, the global lithium-ion battery (LiB) recycling market will grow from US$41 billion in 2021 to US$116.6 billion by 2030, with electric vehicles (EVs) as the main growth driver. According to the World Economic Forum, LiB waste generated by EVs over the same period will rise to 11 million tonnes, a dramatic increase from the 2025 forecast of 600,000 tonnes.
A recent International Energy Agency report on clean energy minerals found that recycling copper, lithium, nickel and cobalt from used batteries could reduce the total primary supply requirement for these minerals by about 10% by 2040. concluded.
LiB recycling policies are more advanced in the EU than in the US. The EU has many requirements for the reuse and recycling of battery materials, requiring manufacturers to design batteries for easy recycling and mandating that new batteries contain a minimal amount of recycled content. I’m here. Additionally, by 2027, battery and automakers are expected to provide easily accessible information on the recycled amounts and sources of cobalt, lithium, nickel and lead in all batteries sold. .
With all these upcoming regulations in mind, US-based Aqua Metals is developing what it claims to be the cleanest, most cost-effective LiB recycling solution ever. The company claims to be able to recover a higher percentage of metals of higher quality at lower operating costs than current methods applied or developed in the industry, without the detrimental effects of furnaces and greenhouse gases. .
