How to recycle a car battery

There are simple tips to put into practice on a daily basis to prolong the Life of the battery of your car ::
Avoid short journeys.
Regularly dust the battery.
Avoid hot and cold weather.
Start the car regularly.
Used car batteries cannot be left anywhere, especially not in nature. Like everyone else waste, Collection points have been set up to recover the batteries out of use. You can go directly to a recycling center, to your mechanic or to a specialized reseller.

The recycling industry for electric car batteries is organized

The boom in electric vehicles, supported financially by the governments of Canada and Quebec to decarbonize road transport, will produce a considerable amount of batteries to recycle. The first peak should be reached in 2030: between 58,000 and 88,000 batteries will arrive at the end of life that year in the province, according to the Quebec propulsion projections, the industrial cluster of electrical and intelligent transport. This represents between 17,500 tonnes and 26,400 tonnes of plastic and strategic metals to recycle, such as nickel, lithium, cobalt or graphite.

“Our current reprocessing capacity corresponds to just under 10 % of sales of lithium-ion batteries, the lifespan of which is about ten years. It therefore leaves us for 10 years to multiply our recycling capacity by 10 “, calculates François Larouche, researcher of the center of excellence in electrification of transport and energy storage (CEETE) of Hydro-Québec.

Within the electrical transport sector, “everyone is well aware of the challenges linked to the end of life of the batteries,” says the p.-d.g. From Propulsion Quebec, Sarah Houde, who finds “healthy and comforting to see an emerging industry attacking a problem that does not yet arise”. However, it remains lucid on the ecological intentions of industrialists. “A used battery is high -value waste which contains strategic metals less expensive to recycle than to extract. »»

Reduce mineral needs

The transition to electric mobility also raises the question of the availability of mineral resources. “We have margin on nickel, lithium and graphite, but it can go fairly quickly according to the other uses of these metals. For the cobalt, the situation is more critical, “says François Larouche, who recalls that the limit on mining extraction,” this is the price that we are ready, as a company, to pay for ores and the environmental cost that we are ready to accept ”. He nevertheless estimates that in 2050, from 20 % to 30 % of the materials required to make new batteries will come from the recycling of used batteries.

In this perspective to reduce economic, ecological and climatic costs, research and development is moving towards new batteries using less rare metals in lower quantities, and above all easier to recycle, like iron. The manufacturers of car and electric trucks are starting to organize themselves to recover their used batteries. And around the world, industrialists are busy finding solutions to exploit this mine of open hood waste.

A leader in Quebec

With us, recycling is one of the three axes of the Quebec Battery Sector Development Strategy. The Legault government has invested $ 22.5 million in April 2022 in the construction of the first commercial factory for Lithion recycling, which could treat up to 7,500 tonnes of batteries per year by the end of 2023 – the site of the factory remains to be confirmed.

The Quebec company has developed a process-called hydrometallurgy-which allows it to recover 95 % of the components of lithium-ion batteries and to regenerate materials of a purity level of 99.98 %, explains its president, Benoit Sewing. “We come to complete the loop with finished products equivalent to mining products that can be used to make new batteries. »»

The lithion recycling technique arouses international interest. “We have development projects in Asia, Europe and North America,” said Benoit Couture, who intends in particular to conclude partnerships to set up supply channels in used batteries, but also to recover the batteries rejected term of their production, “whose volumes are substantial”, underlines the circular entrepreneur.

For its part, the Ceete develops a recycling process specific to LFP batteries (for lithion, iron and phosphate), a type of battery patented by Hydro-Québec in the early 2000s, which today equips the majority of electric vehicles produced in China. “We are still at the laboratory research stage, but we are able to regenerate around 96 % of the performance of cathodic materials, which represent 30 % of the weight of the batteries,” says François Larouche.

If the question of recycling is crucial, “we must not skip the stage of reuse either,” said Thierry St-Cyr, Managing Director of Innovation, an innovation accelerator in the electrical energy sector. “The batteries will survive vehicles. Their capacity will be less, but always sufficient for stationary applications, such as storage of electricity produced by solar panels or wind turbines, for example. »»

The training engineer should be “a little widen his head to connect different batteries that have their own management systems”, while remaining convinced that it is an avenue to explore. “The batteries will green our transport in the first life and they will then green renewable electricity,” he prophesies.

This special content was produced by the special publications team of Duty, marketing. The editorial staff of Duty did not take part.

How to recycle a car battery ?

The battery of a car contains materials harmful for theenvironment such as lead and acid. When it is out of use, it should not be left or thrown into the wild. There are now used car battery recycling centers.

Why is it necessary to recycle the battery of a car ?

Car batteries are very polluting and can have effects Negative health. Besides lead andsulfuric acid, Some batteries contain nickel and cobalt.

After a certain period, metals heavy are released from the plastic container of the battery and spread in the waters, the floors and the air.
In Europe, You cannot get rid of your battery of car anywhere under penalty of a fine of € 460.
Since 2001, resellers and battery manufacturers automotive are required to recover and ship the used batteries in the centers sorting.
THE recycling a car battery is both an eco-responsible and economical gesture. Indeed, certain elements can be recovered and reused, especially lead.

How does recycling a car battery work ?

THE recycling a battery gives a second life to its main components And materials, in particular plastic, lead and sulfuric acid.

• Plastic : The battery case is made in plastic. This can be recycled once it is crushed in pellets or small pastilles. It can then be reused for the manufacturing bottles or small plastic objects.
• The lead : Being a classic metal, lead can be recycled. Once it is melted and impurities are removed, it can be reused in a new battery.
• Sulfuric acid : The reconditioning of electrolyte or sulfuric acid allow to make soaps, cosmetic products or shampoos.

How to recycle an electric car battery ?

Electric cars are on the rise in recent years, especially in the context of sustainable development. Still, you have to think about recycling their batteries which are essentially made from lithium.

Since 2011, many partnerships and projects have been developed to facilitate recycling of electric vehicle batteries. Replacement of these is carried out directly with manufacturers.

According to the law in force, recycling companies are forced to enhance at least 50% of the weight of the battery. Each company has its own techniques to extract the different materials that constitute the battery accumulator.

To separate the elements, the battery can be crushed or heated in a pyrolysis oven. They are then refined using several mechanical and chemical processes. The operation makes it possible to obtain bruises and powder of raw material such as copper, nickel, aluminum, lithium, cobalt and cadmium.

Which can recover the used batteries ?

Before changing car battery, remember to find a place to drop off your old battery. You can go to your mechanic, to a store specializing in the sale of car parts or a dealership.
That you replace the battery of your vehicle with a mechanic or a professional, he is required to to recover The old battery to send it to recycling.
If you do not use a mechanic, go directly to a recycling center. The latter is one of the main collection points for batteries outsideuse.
Some large areas can also collect worn batteries, whether it is a car battery or a motorcycle battery.

There are simple tips to put into practice on a daily basis to prolong the Life of the battery of your car ::
Avoid short journeys.
Regularly dust the battery.
Avoid hot and cold weather.
Start the car regularly.
Used car batteries cannot be left anywhere, especially not in nature. Like everyone else waste, Collection points have been set up to recover the batteries out of use. You can go directly to a recycling center, to your mechanic or to a specialized reseller.

Before buying a new battery, discover our other items on the universe of auto batteries:

• What to do when the battery is flat ?
• How to test a car battery ?
• How much is a car battery ?
• What is the best battery brand ?