Lithium batteries: is it possible to recycle?

Worldwide, the market for BESS (Energy Storage Systems with Batteries) is already a reality and is expected to continue growing sharply and solidly. Germany and the United States are countries that stand out in such investments, focused on ancillary services.

In fact, when we talk about installations with photovoltaic systems, batteries play a fundamental role, especially with the change in regulation mark in Brazil, and with the popularization of lithium batteries (LFP).

The segment continues to expand, but something that still raises doubts is the existence of disposal programs and the possibility of recycling them.

O Canal Solar talked to the manufacturers BYD e Unicoba, Besides theEnergySource, who spoke about the topic and discussed future projects to boost the sector in the country.

Disposal of lithium batteries

Marco Togniazzolo, battery engineering manager at Unicoba, said that the company already has a collection and disposal program that complies with current legislation, including the disposal of stationary batteries from other brands.

“We dispose of it appropriately, sending it to specialized plants that are regularly registered for recycling,” reported Togniazzolo.

“This disposal request can be made directly to our website, where we have a dedicated area for this, but it can also be done through our sales channels and partners, and directly with the commercial team”, he explained.

At the end of the process, he emphasized that the applicant receives the CDF (Certificate of Final Destination), proving to IBAMA and other bodies that the company made the appropriate final destination of the waste generated (in this case, battery scrap).

Regarding BYD, the company highlighted that it is also developing a plan to meet a possible need to dispose of LFP batteries used in BESS.

“This is in accordance with the standards currently used by the EVs (electric vehicles) business unit, through a partnership with a specialized company that carries out the appropriate disposal process”, he pointed out. Carlos Brandao, product engineer at BYD Brazil.

“In addition, the brand’s engineering team is developing a research project aimed at using second-life electric vehicle batteries and another, which corresponds to the recycling of all batteries used in multiple applications – in line with the idea of circular economy”, he pointed out.

Togniazzolo stated that yes, the batteries are recycled to use their parts. For lead ones, 100% of the material is recycled, including parts such as the plastic case and metal terminals.

As for lithium ones, it depends on the type of cell being used. Portable telephone batteries, for example, have a different recycling rate than a VRLA battery, assembled with pressure regulating valves – which guarantee no emission of corrosive gases and installation close to electrical circuits.

“Therefore, it is important to use elements that do not harm the environment. Unicoba batteries are produced with lithium iron phosphate, which does not contain toxic elements”, he highlighted.

Brandão also commented on the subject and highlighted that BYD is forming partnerships to develop research fronts aimed at recycling LiFePO4 batteries.

“Different methods can be used in this process, ranging from mechanical disassembly to the use of more refined methodologies such as hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, with the aim of using, mainly, the valuable materials from the batteries”, he commented.

Can I recycle all battery components?

According to the Unicoba engineer, regardless of the construction, all parts are recycled, such as basic components, separators, plastic parts, connectors and terminals, etc.

“As previously stated, the majority of recycling processes that are being researched and developed have the primary objective of being efficient in reusing, mainly, the components with the highest added value of LFP batteries such as Lithium, Copper, Graphite, Aluminum and Iron ”, said the BYD engineer.

Cost of recycling

According to experts, the cost varies depending on the type of battery, price of the raw material, seasonality and other particularities in the logistics process, from collection to the final recycling process.

Does Brazil have reverse recycling legislation?

The resolution CONAMA nº 401 of 2008 establishes that every manufacturer in Brazil is obliged to receive batteries sold by them that are energy depleted.

“There are also other initiatives that support the recycling process in Brazil”, concluded the battery engineering manager at Unicoba.

Where can I recycle in Brazil?

Energy Source is currently the only one in Brazil to recycle lithium batteries, said Nélio Costa, who works with new business and sourcing at the company.

According to the company, the first stage of this cycle is processing, which results in a product called: “Black Mass”. The second stage is the processing of this material via hydrometallurgical solution, a chemical method used to obtain Cobalt, Lithium, Nickel and Manganese.

At the end of the process, all this raw material is reinserted into the production chain, closing the recycling cycle, offering great added value to those who value the evolution of sustainability in the circular economy.

Brazil battery market

In Marco Togniazzolo's view, the country has a promising and rapidly growing market for energy storage solutions for stationary applications.

For Carlos Brandão, it is known that, unfortunately, the battery market in Brazil is considerably behind the European and American markets. For him, in the country, the BESS business is retracted, being more focused on larger R&D (Research and Development) projects.

“However, like other players, we consider this current status as a business opportunity, as we all have high expectations for it”, he highlighted.

“It is known that generation from renewable sources, such as solar and wind, are the major bets in the composition and diversification of the Brazilian and global energy matrix”, he added.

“However, these sources have an inherent weakness, intermittency. This is where BESS comes in. They solve the intermittency problem of renewables, leaving them firm and uninterrupted for the demands of our national interconnected system”, she emphasized.

Furthermore, it is worth highlighting that, in addition, Battery Energy Storage Systems bring a series of benefits to the network, called ancillary services.

“Examples of ancillary services, in addition to reducing intermittency, are frequency regulation, voltage regulation, absorption of rapid variations in the network and time-shift (shifting energy to strategic periods)”, he explained.

“In the case of small and medium-sized systems, hybrids with batteries have applications that benefit where they are applied, such as peak-shaving (prevents the consumption or injection of electricity generated in the solar system from exceeding the contracted demand), backup and blackstart. Therefore, hybrid systems (solar and wind plus batteries), are not only important but essential for our country and the world”, he concluded.