The lead-acid batteries in motor vehicles have been around for many decades and because they are made from elements that can be recycled, there is an established ‘business’ in collecting and recycling batteries. Even the guy who collects old newspapers will take them as the lead, plastics and even the sulphuric acid can also be recycled.
Lead-acid batteries are therefore considered as ‘closed-loop’ products which means that when their ‘first life’ is over, they can be recycled into other products. It is estimated that globally, 98% of such batteries are being recycled.
With the advent of hybrid and electric vehicles since the late 1990s, more powerful battery packs have appeared. These are needed to store electricity in large amounts and to power the electric motors. These have not continued with the lead-acid approach which would make the battery packs very heavy as they would have to be very big to store sufficient electricity.
Instead, the battery packs for battery-powered electric and hybrid vehicles use nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel–metal hydride (Ni-Mh), and more recently, lithium-ion or lithium-ion polymer. The technology is constantly advancing, and the battery packs are getting more compact while their storage capacity keeps growing, making possible longer travel ranges.
End-of-life disposal
The manufacturers have been mindful of the fact that the battery packs have an end-of-life and unlike lead-acid batteries, their disposal is not so straightforward. Various solutions have been explored to keep them in service and Honda Motor Europe, together with SNAM (Societe Nouvelle d’Affinage des Metaux), is investigating the possibility of using batteries in a ’second life’ for the storage of renewable energy in industrial applications.
SNAM is a battery recycling company and is increasing its role in partnership with the carmaker to advance the sustainable usability of its end-of-life battery packs. The pan-European arrangement will see SNAM collect and recycle batteries from Honda’s increasing number of hybrid and electric vehicles and either potentially prepare them for ‘second-life’ renewable energy storage uses or extract valuable materials for recycling if they are not suitable for that purpose.
Honda and SNAM have worked together since 2013 to ensure the traceability of end-of-life batterie packs and dispose of them in accordance with European Union environmental standards. The expansion of this agreement will see SNAM collect lithium-ion and NiMH batteries from Honda’s dealer network and Authorised Treatment Facilities in 22 countries, before analysing how suitable they are for recycling and processing them accordingly.
Second life applications
“As demand for Honda’s expanding range of hybrid and electric cars continues to grow, so does the requirement to manage batteries in the most environmentally-friendly way possible. Recent market developments may allow us to make use of these batteries in a second life application for powering businesses or by using recent improved recycling techniques to recover useful raw materials which can be used as feedstock into the production of new batteries,” said Tom Gardner, Senior Vice-President at Honda Motor Europe.
Safe and low carbon transport is utilised for the collection of used batterie packs. On arrival, SNAM assesses which battery packs are valid for inclusion in a new energy storage device. These are then repurposed and made available by SNAM for domestic and industrial applications.
When battery cells are damaged and unsuitable for ‘second life’ applications, materials such as cobalt and lithium can be extracted using hydrometallurgy techniques involving the use of aqueous chemistry. These can be reused in the production of new batteries, colour pigments or as useful additives for mortar. Other commonly used materials including copper, metal and plastics are recycled and offered to the market for use in the production of a variety of applications.
