According to national regulations, power batteries must be retired and forcibly recycled when their capacity decays to below 80% of their rated capacity. Industry experts estimate that the power batteries equipped in the earliest batch of new energy vehicles are already nearing the end of their service life.
New energy vehicle power batteries mainly include lead-acid batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, lithium cobalt oxide batteries, lithium manganese oxide batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries, and ternary lithium-ion batteries. They contain heavy metal elements such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese. Improperly handled batteries will produce harmful substances, which will pollute the soil, air, and water sources, and also harm human health.
What are some things to keep in mind when recycling power batteries?
1. Distinguish between secondary use and dismantling and recycling. Secondary use involves dismantling and reassembling batteries for use in energy storage or other fields where energy density requirements are not high. Dismantling and recycling involves extracting expensive metals such as cobalt and nickel from used batteries, which also explains why lithium iron phosphate batteries are less economically viable for recycling compared to ternary batteries.
2. Emphasize the traceability of power batteries. Strengthening battery traceability helps to understand the life cycle of used batteries, thereby classifying recycled batteries and reducing recycling costs.
3. Standardized Specifications. Power batteries on the market vary in specifications, internal and external structural designs, module connection methods, and manufacturing technologies. Therefore, when recycling batteries, comprehensive testing and sorting are necessary to reduce the difficulty of battery disassembly and eliminate safety hazards such as short circuits, explosions, and leaks.
Solving the problem of power battery recycling requires cooperation among the government, enterprises, and consumers to establish a sound battery recycling ecosystem, form a complete closed-loop industrial chain for power batteries, maximize the residual value of waste batteries, and protect the precious ecological environment.
