Professor Gisele Azimi and PhD candidate Jiakai (Kevin) Zhang have proposed a new, more sustainable method to recover valuable metals from lithium-ion batteries that have reached the end of their useful lives
Professor Gisele Azimi and PhD candidate Jiakai (Kevin) Zhang have proposed a new, more sustainable method to recover valuable metals from lithium-ion batteries that have reached the end of their useful lives - A University of Toronto researcher has developed a new technique to help recycle the metals in lithium-ion batteries, which are in high demand amid surging global sales of electric vehicles. Gisele Azimi, a professor in the departments of materials science and engineering and chemical engineering and applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, and her team have proposed a new, more sustainable method to mine valuable metals - including lithium, but also cobalt, nickel and manganese - from lithium-ion batteries that have reached the end of their useful lifespan. "Getting these metals from raw ore takes a lot of energy," says Jiakai (Kevin) Zhang, a PhD candidate in chemical engineering and applied chemistry who is lead author on a new paper recently published in Resources, Conservation and Recycling . "If we recycle existing batteries, we can sustain the constrained supply chain and help bring down the cost of EV batteries, making the vehicles more affordable." Part of Canada's commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 includes a mandatory target requiring 100 per cent of new light-duty cars and passenger trucks sold in the country to be electric by 2035. Achieving this target will require an increase in the supply of critical metals, the price of which is already very high.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
