Ian McCusker
Lithium Ion Batteries
With increasing thought being given to the future of transportation in the world, it is important
to consider the ramifications of switching to a new transport technology. Specifically, lithium ion
batteries present a disposal problem that has been growing with the increased consumption of
computers and smart phones. This problem will be greatly magnified if electric cars with lithium ion
batteries are adopted on a large scale.
The United States has set a goal of having 1 million all electric cars on its roads by 2015. The
efficiency and weight advantages enjoyed by lithium ion batteries means they will likely become the
primary energy source for many cars. Already, cars like the Tesla Roadster and the Nissan Leaf use
lithium ion batteries. If more are to come, a sustainable solution must be found to the disposal problems
that lithium ion batteries face. Either recycling must expand to profitability, or consumers must pay the
price of disposal and extraction of contaminants.
Currently, hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius use nickel metal hydride batteries to power their
electric motors. These batteries are very profitable to recycle, as they contain valuable heavy metals.
Less so with lithium ion batteries, as lithium is among the least profitable metals to extract.[1] Several
companies are attempting to develop lithium ion battery recycling procedures,[2] and there is research
ongoing into recycling techniques,[3] but most batteries in the United States are put into landfills.[4] This
is a disaster waiting to happen. The potential exists to profitably extract cobalt, lithium, and other
valuable metals from lithium ion batteries in a recycling process, but such efforts are still in
development.[5] Until then, the dumping of lithium ion batteries in landfills is a dangerous solution.
While the United States government classifies lithium ion batteries as non-hazardous and inert, the
potential exists for heavy metals to leak out and contaminate groundwater supplies.[4] Adoption of
electric car technology could exacerbate this problem. A solution must be found.
1. Phil Taylor, When an Electric Car Dies, What Happens to the Battery?, Scientific American,
September 14, 2009
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=lithium-ion-batteries-hybrid-electric-vehiclerecycling
2. Todd R Coy, Toxco Presentation on Lithium Ion Battery Recycling Facilities, May 16, 2012
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/pdfs/merit_review_2012/energy_storage/arrav
t020_es_coy_2012_p.pdf
3. M Contestabile, S Panero, B Scrosati, A laboratory-scale lithium-ion
battery recycling process, Journal of Power Sources, Volume 92, Issues
1–2, January 2001, Pages 65-69, ISSN 0378-7753, 10.1016/S03787753(00)00523-1.
http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.rpi.edu/science/article/pii/S0378
775300005231
4. Robert Mitchell, Lithium ion batteries: High-tech's latest mountain of waste, Computerworld
Blogs, August 22, 2006 http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/3285
5. A.M Bernardes, D.C.R Espinosa, J.A.S Tenório, Recycling of batteries: a
review of current processes and technologies, Journal of Power Sources,
Volume 130, Issues 1–2, 3 May 2004, Pages 291-298, ISSN 0378-7753,
10.1016/j.jpowsour.2003.12.026.
http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.rpi.edu/science/article/pii/S0378
775303012230