Awarded Publications on Battery Recycling

For its outstanding work in the field of battery recycling, the research division Analytics & Environment at MEET Battery Research Center received two awards. The publisher Wiley honored the publication “Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries – Current State of the Art, Circular Economy, and Next Generation Recycling” as “Top Cited Article”. The publication “Comprehensive Characterization of Shredded Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Material” received the “Top Dowanloaded Article” award.

Recycling as Key Research Field at MEET

Recycling is a crucial factor for the circular economy of batteries. The use of recycled materials not only reduces the cost of the raw materials, but also enables energy savings in battery production. Dr Sascha Nowak, Head of the Research Division Analytics & Environment at MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Münster, has therefore established a team of ten scientists within his working group that is specifically dedicated to this topic. For example, it examines recycled cells as well as materials and conducts quality controls on recycling processes

In the review article on battery recycling published in the scientific journal “Advanced Energy Materials”, a team led by Jonas Neumann identified promising approaches for recycling and current challenges. New material concepts for batteries entail specific requirements for recycling. For example, a mix of materials is often used as active materials, which complicates achieving high recycling efficiencies and purities of the different raw materials. “Design for Recycling” is considered a promising approach for a sustainable battery industry. Standardized screw connections and conjunctions between modules or cells should enable automatic disassembly. The team also provided insights into regulations and new battery directive demands in the United States, the European Union (EU) and China. Authors are Dr Sascha Nowak und Jonas Neumann together with Prof. Dr Martina Petranikova, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Industrial Material Recycling, Chalmers University of Technology, Dr Marcel Meeus, Energy Materials Industrial Research Initiative, Dr Jorge D. Gamarra und Associate Prof. Dr Reza Younesi, Department of Chemistry - The Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, and Prof. Dr Martin Winter, MEET Battery Research Center and Helmholtz Institute Münster.

Methodological Toolbox for End-of-life Batteries

The results of the study by a team led by Dr Christoph Peschel also focus on the recycling of batteries. The researchers developed a broad spectrum of methods for analyzing shredded lithium-ion battery materials. With this methodological toolbox for end-of-life batteries, various samples can be comprehensively characterized and thus conclusions can be made about the proportions of valuable materials, the electrolyte used and the inactive materials. Dr Christoph Peschel, Stefan van Wickeren, Yves Preibisch, Verena Naber, Lars Frankenstein, Dr Fabian Horsthemke und Dr Sascha Nowak, MEET Battery Research Center, Prof. Dr Martin Winter, MEET Battery Research Center and Helmholtz Institute Münster, as well as Prof. Dr Urs Peuker und Denis Werner, Institute of Mechanical Process Engineering and Mineral Processing of TU Bergakademie Freiberg, published the results in the scientific journal “Chemistry – A European Journal”.