Post-Electric Vehicle (EV) lithium-ion batteries repurposing, remanufacturing, and recycling

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In this feasibility study, the research is focused on post-Electric Vehicle (EV) lithium-ion batteries repurposing,remanufacturing, and recycling. As the application of hybrid and electric vehicles is on the rise, it is expectedthat the number of used batteries that will end up in recycling plants will grow exponentially within the nextdecades.Energy retention of these batteries is usually degraded as they have aged. If the energy retention falls under80% of their nominal capacity they are no longer ideal to be used for vehicle propulsion applications and needto be replaced. However, through remanufacturing and repurposing, they can be kept in the cycle of use. Theefforts for remanufacturing or refurbishing are to identify the malfunctioning cells and to replace them withhealthy ones, and repurposing seeks to identify other interesting applications, such as lighting and energy gridstorage. If none of these are viable options then recycling should be considered to recover the preciousmaterials contained within the batteries, such as rare earth metals.In order to make any of above-mentioned treatments a viable business practice, an efficient process must bedeveloped based on a thorough cost and benefit analysis. It is expected that this project will explore differentprocesses and suggest the best approach based on important factors such as productivity, health and safety,environmental impacts, and standards and regulations. Once the approach is identified for each treatment, thenext step will be to detail the process for establishing a pilot production line in recycling plants.