With the spread of next-generation automobiles, the demand for traction batteries such as lithium-ion batteries (LIB) is increasing. Although many studies have evaluated the environmental impacts of mineral resources on the manufacture of traction lithium-ion batteries from the viewpoint of life cycle, studies considering the disturbances on the lithosphere are limited. Here, we evaluate resource use in the process of manufacturing traction lithium-ion batteries using the total material requirement, which is an indicator for quantifying the amount of mining activity.

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Separation processes for recovering cobalt, nickel, copper, and other metals from spent lithium-ion batteries are reviewed. The roasting process, which is now becoming the mainstream recycling process, is shown to play an important role in terms of safety and separation efficiency. The flow of further separation into cathode active material, called black mass, copper, iron, and aluminum by a physical separation process consisting of grinding and physical separation is introduced. The separated cathode active material is separated into cobalt and nickel by a chemical separation process consisting of acid leaching and solvent extraction. In addition, the authors introduce a new concept they are working on for the separation process, which does not include roasting to create an inner resource recycling loop, as described in the concept of a circular economy. Lastly, an example of another new separation technology for aluminum and cathode active material particles using the electrical pulsed discharge is also presented.

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In recent years, the production of high voltage batteries is gaining importance due to the speed at which various products are requiring electrification, causing a prediction that the demand for such batteries will increase a considerable amount. Among the variation of high voltage batteries, Lithium-ion batteries (LiB) are one of the most promising candidates and already widely used in hybrid vehicles (HEV).
　In 2023, a decade after HEV were first introduced to the global market, these products are now reaching the end-of-life stage and are predicted to be disposed of in huge quantities. In order to avoid the environmental and resource risks caused by this massive disposal of LiB contained inside those vehicles, Honda is collaborating with Matsuda Sangyo Co., Ltd. and Japan Metals & Chemicals Co., Ltd under the guidance of Professor Shibata from Tohoku University to develop a recycling technology. This new technology will dismantle-separate-recover rare metals such as Nickel (Ni) and Cobalt (Co) in their alloy form using low cost, low energy methods. The development of this recycling technology is the main topic of the study presented in this paper.

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Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, will greatly depend upon maximizing the use of storage batteries (LIBs). Strengthening the entire battery supply chain including resource circulation, which includes material development and recycling, will also be required. The construction of a safe and efficient recycling system is key to the processing of LIB since there are safety concerns, such as ignition. In addition, metal resources cannot be recovered without appropriate processing. Together, our company and Matsuda Sangyo Co., Ltd., have been developing since 2011 a LIB recycling technology that uses cement manufacturing equipment. In 2017, we jointly established a roasting facility at our group company, Tsuruga Cement Co., Ltd. This led to the start-up of the world’s first demonstration test utilizing this type of cement manufacturing process. Since 2020, we have been engaged in the recycling of LIBs emitted as industrial waste: more than 40 kinds of large LIBs for automotive use and LIBs for stationary use have been roasted. By expanding the scale of this system, we aim to continue to contribute to the recycling of LIBs through 1) low environmental impact processing and 2) metal resource recycling.

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The number of lithium-ion batteries (LIB) being put out into the market, and subsequently disposed of, is expected to increase significantly in the future. Thus, there is a growing international interest in the recycling of these resources. This study focuses on the legal systems behind LIB recycling, reviewing international trends and presenting a case in the European Union (EU) that has in recent years further strengthened its own legal framework.
　By evaluating the Battery Directive process and proposing what is known as the Battery Regulation, the EU is promoting resource recycling in a move toward realizing a circular economy and carbon neutrality. Furthermore, the practical aspects of collecting waste batteries in the EU are discussed here, using the French example as a case study.

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While in recent years, lithium-ion batteries have become indispensable to our daily lives, on the other hand, fires and other such incidents have been on the increase at municipal bulk and non-combustible waste management facilities and at other recycling facilities. Although lithium-ion batteries are subject to voluntary collection under the Act for Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources, there are many issues within this that still need to be addressed, including items not covered by the Act, battery-integrated products, and lack of collection rate targets. With regard to the material flow of lithium-ion batteries, information on the destination is limited in relation to the Ministry of the Environment (MoE)’s estimate of annual waste discharge for approximately 16000 tons (in 2019). This shows that the accuracy of estimating amounts of lithium-ion batteries entering waste management facilities needs to be improved. Against the backdrop of fires and other incidents, the MoE compiled the Collection of Countermeasures for Lithium-ion Batteries and Other Difficult-to-Treat Materials based on a survey of discharge conditions and advanced examples from local governments, while the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has also studied the desirable form of the Act. The need to review the responsibility and significance of recovery considering safety assurance is discussed as a future challenge.

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Batteries are familiar, however, the principle is not well understood, and is blackboxed, which is a cause of confusing the direction of battery innovation. From this point of view, the principle of battery power generation is described first. From this, we come to know that “Whenever there are two materials which react with each other, a battery can be constructed.” Then, it is the practicality that determines usable as a battery. The requirements for the practicality include electromotive force, charge/discharge cycle life, safety, cost, and recyclability, and so on. The requirement is very strict, and historically only a few kinds of batteries could be put into practical use. It is important to compare the performance of various batteries matching their strengths and weaknesses with the actual use, and to select the most suitable battery. The newly developed high-performance lead acid battery has the potential to replace the lithium ion secondary battery in some uses. Based on the above discussion, we propose a direction battery innovation should be promoted.

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[in Japanese]

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