2023-10-19 04:53:00
The strong growth of electric cars is accompanied by environmental waste. In question, the presence of numerous rare metals with negative ecological consequences. In the same way that the extraction of lithium, nickel or even cobalt proves harmful to local ecosystems, the path of these rare earths often ends in nature. In this context, their recycling constitutes a major challenge for governments engaged in the ecological transition.
Science is thus mobilized to develop “green” recycling techniques. A work which has recently borne fruit. In Sweden, researchers presented a device to eliminate the toxic effects of rare metals using a vegetable acid. The method was synthesized on the website of theChalmers Universityin Gothenburg.
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No toxic releases
“No one had yet succeeded in creating the ideal conditions for separating lithium using oxalic acidrejoiced one of the contributors to the experiment, Léa Rouquette. Since all batteries contain aluminum, it must be possible to eliminate it without losing the other metals.”she explained.
Oxalic acid is an organic ingredient present in many plants, such as rhubarb, mint and spinach. Above all, it does not release any substances harmful to the environment.
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Today, rare metals are mainly removed using an inorganic acid. At each stage of purification, a residual quantity of lithium is released into nature. This loss is avoided thanks to this new method. Researchers recover the lithium and aluminum first. These two materials end up in the liquid. A process similar to filtering coffee.
A demand that will increase significantly
“This is an innovative method that can offer new alternatives to the recycling industry”, explained Martina Petranikova, a chemist at Chalmers University. Building on this invention, the laboratory wants to help the automobile industry reduce its environmental impact. The sector expects to experience an upheaval in uses in the coming years. Electric cars are in vogue. But this enthusiasm should also be combined with a sharp increase in the rejection of electric batteries.
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In Europe, the quantity of the latter might reach 700,000 tonnes in 2035, an increase by 50 compared to today (15,000 tonnes), reports The Parisian. A sharply increasing demand to which the French government promises to respond. 30 million euros have already been allocated to industrial programs for recycling electric batteries, note The echoes.
On the same topic :
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