INEGI helps make reusing lithium for battery manufacturing easier

Reduce lithium waste by 70%, and transform what is now waste into a new and valuable raw material to manufacture batteries. This is the objective of a new European project with the participation of INEGI.

"It's estimated that 27% of the world's lithium production is discarded. However, studies indicate that this resource will be insufficient to meet market needs from 2025 onwards. Since this material is so scarce and difficult to extract, this effort to innovate in its recycling is essential" explains Luís Oliveira, responsible for the project at INEGI.

The solution designed by the consortium encompasses a continuous, integrated and circular manufacturing, collection and recycling process. To this end, the 12 partners will collaborate in the creation of processes capable of producing active materials for batteries, from secondary and low-quality lithium sources.

The sustainability of the process is a priority, so INEGI is responsible for analyzing the environmental, social and cost impact of the process, through the life cycle assessment (LCA) and cost assessment, in order to improve the chain of circular value of lithium. To this end, it will use a digital data platform to map and collect environmental, economic and social data from the various circular processes under development.

By creating a new circular business model for the acquisition and processing of materials, the partners will also be helping to reduce the European Union's external dependence on the import of chemicals and raw materials.

This is one of five European projects dedicated to the battery value chain that INEGI participates in. The Institute, which is responsible for all research activities related to sustainability, obtained €2.25 million in funding.

The project «RELiEF - Recycling of Lithium from Secondary Raw Materials and Further» is funded under the Horizon Europe 2021 programme.



[ download project Press Release ]