Abstract
Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs) and Supercapacitors (SCs) are the backbone of the energy transition. Thanks to their high-energy storage/conversion efficiency, they represent the enabling technologies of UN Sustainable Development Goal n. 7 "Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy".
LIBs are the highest specific energy battery technology, and their global demand and use are exponentially growing. In parallel, LIB manufacturing and end-of-life (EoL) disposal still represent environmental hurdles. Indeed, LIBs are constituted by toxic and hazardous materials (e.g. heavy metals and critical raw materials CRM, like Co, and electrolytes with flammable organic solvents). A lack of proper disposal of LIBs will impact on the environment and cause loss of high-value metals. Recycling and Re-use of EoL (RRE) includes EoL-LIBs within a circular economy, considering them as resources rather than waste. Indeed, exhausted batteries can be considered as a huge reserve of raw materials to be reused to produce new LIBs or for other markets, like the manufacturing of new generation SCs.
Despite their lower specific energy than LIBs, SCs due to their superior power and cycle-life are particularly attractive for applications having frequent high peak-to-average power demand. A new generation of high energy SC with improved energy performance can be designed by exploiting porous metal oxides (from EoL LIBs) and electrolytes, like the aqueous ones, that are greener than those used in LIBs.
RELY ambition is to contribute to the thematic area “Renewable energy and community energy ” by the definition of a virtuous LIBs supply chain by:
-the development of a green recycling/recovery method of LIB CRMs; University of Bologna (UNIBO).
-the re-use of recovered CRMs as secondary sources for the synthesis of new electrode materials for energy storage devices like SCs;University of Pretoria (UP) and University of Venda (UNIVEN).
Team leader
Prof. Francesca Soavi
Partnership
Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna (Italy)
University of Pretoria (SouthAfrica)
University of Venda(SouthAfrica)