Article in Economist on battery recycling

Other researchers are taking an interest in non-metallic compounds. The graphite in an anode for example, ) can represent about half of a battery by volume.

Although graphite can also be mined, most of it is currently produced in a synthetic form by roasting needle coke, a by-product of some coal-processing and petrochemi- cal plants. As graphite must be purified to above 99.95% in order to make anodes, recovering it from contaminated battery waste is extremely difficult.

Talga an Australian materials firm, has come up with a solution to that problem. It recently signed deals with two recyclers, Altilium, a British company, and Aurubis, a German one, to purify graphite recovered from scrap and end-of-life batteries so that it can be used again to make new anodes.

Talga will use a chemical purification process, the details of which are being kept under wraps while patents are pending. It is, however, known to be based on a tech- nique used at Europe's first anode-production facility.

This was set up by Talga in northern Sweden, where the company also operates a graphite mine.

As recycling technology continues to evolve, a circular supply chain may emerge. That should allow more localised battery production and avoid supply-chain vulner- abilities. It would also reduce the overall lifetime carbon emissions involved in the mining and refining of battery raw materi- als--allowing the drivers of EVs to more rightfully claim to be green.