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2/22/2024
Transformation of the drives
Report
Electric Vehicle Batteries and the Quest for Recycling Concepts
In the "BattBox" project, experts from industry and academia are developing new methods to recycle electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The goal is to extend the usability of battery systems, make electric mobility more environmentally friendly overall, and enable future automated dismantling of batteries. One year after the project's start, at the end of January 2024, the team is satisfied with the progress made so far.
The BattBox project is led by the mechanical engineering company Fill, in collaboration with Graz University of Technology, automotive supplier AVL, and the automotive cluster. The team aims for a multi-stage recycling concept for battery systems.
"Criticism of electric mobility often focuses on the availability of raw materials and the difficult recycling of waste materials," says Franz Haas, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Graz University of Technology. "If we manage to enable economical recycling and reintroduction of battery cells into a second life cycle, we will have made a significant step towards decarbonization and independence from fossil fuels."
Are Industrial-Scale Solutions in Sight?
However, the fundamental problem with battery recycling remains unchanged. "Unfortunately, our initial analysis of selected battery systems has confirmed our expectations," says Josef Ecker, project manager at Fill. "Batteries, in their current form and design, are not prepared or intended for repair, a second life, or any other type of reuse." The preparation will have to be done through pyrometallurgical or hydrometallurgical recycling.More important and encouraging are the concepts and processes currently being developed for the repair, reuse, or recovery of the systems before recycling. The project team has already made progress that they will transform into industrial-scale and value-preserving solutions over the course of the second research year, according to Ecker.
The BattBox project runs until December 2025 and is supported with 1.4 million euros from the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).
