Australia’s love affair with lithium-ion batteries continues to grow exponentially thanks to e-bikes, e-scooters and portable electronics, but is it an environmental disaster in the making?

Only 10% of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in Australia are collected and sent overseas for processing, with the rest either stored or landfilled where it can cause “significant environmental damage”.

Dr Yasser Arafat, senior research engineer at Edith Cowan University, and Professor Daryoush Habibi have been working to raise awareness of the “alarming” recycling rate of LIBs in Australia, which, once sent to landfill, can lead to leaks of dangerous metals such as cobalt, nickel and manganese.

“The release of (these) toxic substances…and lithium hexafluorophosphate (an electrolyte) into irrigation systems can harm aquatic life and pose serious health risks, including asthma, cancer, eye damage, reproductive toxicity, skin sensitization, bone and kidney damage. residents of the surrounding area,” said Dr. Arafat.

He added that stockpiles at waste facilities also increased the risk of battery-related fires, with “around 10,000 incidents reported each year”.

Australia currently produces around 3,300 tonnes of LIB waste per year, according to the CSIRO, with the federal government predicting Australia’s annual waste will reach 137,000 tonnes by 2035.

Dr Arafat said East Asian countries such as China, South Korea and Japan currently dominate the global LIB recycling landscape, accounting for 71% of recycling plants.

China has a processing capacity of about 188,000 tons, Europe has a capacity of 92,000 tons and a recycling rate of 10 percent, and North America has a recycling capacity of about 20,000 tons.

“In contrast, Australia is lagging behind in terms of recycling capacity,” Dr Arafat said.

He said “urgent action” was needed.

“The Australian Government should invest in developing robust recycling infrastructure, implement clear regulations for responsible handling and provide incentives to promote the recycling industry,” Dr Arafat said.

In May, the Federal Government released its $532 million National Battery Strategy, aimed at developing a domestic industry that capitalizes on Australia’s supply chain advantage as a as a producer of nine of the ten minerals necessary for the production of LIBs.

The strategy focuses on producing new batteries, but it also says a domestic LIB recycling industry could bring in between $603 million and $3.1 billion in just over a decade.

Despite this potential, the Waste Management & Resource Recovery Association of Australia said the strategy has failed to fund a “collection pathway” for many existing battery types, “nor move us to a circular economy of ‘by 2030’.

“Existing gaps in battery collection in Australia need urgent attention as the waste and resource recovery industry is literally on fire,” WMRRAA chief executive Gayle Sloan said. in May.

There has been movement in Australia, such as in Victoria where the state government has given $3.5 million for two recycling projects that will process 19,500 tonnes of LIB per year.

A spokesperson for the Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water said state and territory governments were responsible for the management of used batteries, including “collection , recycling, transport and disposal of used batteries.

The spokesperson said Australian environment ministers met in 2023 and agreed that the Queensland government, supported by the New South Wales and Victorian governments, would “lead the work to inform the regulatory options for battery waste management.

It is expected to provide recommendations in December.

Harness a Longer Life

Dr Arafat said the average lifespan of a battery in an electric vehicle was 8 to 15 years, but they often retained 70 to 80 percent of their original capacity, meaning they could be reused and used for another 5-10 years.

“In addition, aluminum and copper can also be extracted during the recycling process, thereby strengthening resource capacity.”

At the University of Adelaide, a $5 million Australian Research Council training center for battery recycling is being established. Its aim is to provide “industry-focused solutions” for battery recycling, to guide the rapid development of a recycling market in Australia and to offer a highly industry-focused solution. qualified workforce.

“In Australia, we currently lack a unified industry chain or policy to regulate battery recycling,” director Dr Tatiana Khmeleva said.

“We demonstrate low LIB collection rates, active landfilling and utilize (some) offshore recycling of our LIB waste.

“Alongside the growing environmental risks of landfilling, Australia is currently unable to realize the value associated with the reuse of large LIBs or the recovery of batter materials.”

She said it is estimated that by 2030, batteries with a capacity close to 1,000 gigawatt hours would be available for a second life, including as backup power and stationary energy storage.

The center is expected to be launched before the end of January 2025.