Universal Battery Recycling System (UBRS)
Lead Participant:
RECYCLUS GROUP LIMITED
Abstract
With the recent rapid development of the electric vehicle (EV), significant quantities of high-voltage lithium-ion batteries will reach the end-of-life (EoL) from 2025-2030\. In order to overcome the upcoming "battery waste tsunami", it is crucial to set up a sufficiently consistent battery recycling channel. However, existing industrial recycling is hampered by a variety of factors that make large-scale recycling difficult while maintaining economic viability.
The Faraday Institute and wider battery and manufacturing industries recognise the need for a revised policy and regulatory framework to address recycling issues across the entire EV battery lifecycle, including:
1. A coherent waste hierarchy strategy for lithium-ion batteries, which addresses end-of-life management and covers recycling, re-use, and repurposing of the batteries in the UK rather than abroad.
2. Clear regulation and policy on re-use and re-purposing.
3. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations that support a move to a circular economy model.
4. Eco-design criteria for recycling and remanufacturing.
5. Update and clarification of existing waste management law as it relates to EV lithium-ion batteries to ensure a high standard of protection for human health and the environment.
6. The introduction, as part of the review of the Waste Battery and Accumulator Regulations in 2021, of mandatory chemistry labelling requirements for lithium-ion batteries.
7. A strategy to create the conditions for a new lithium-ion battery recycling industry in the UK to flourish.
In order to support this framework and address the challenges outlined, Recyclus Group and the Advanced Materials & Processing Laboratory (AMPLab) at the University of Birmingham (UoB) will collaborate to create the first mobile battery recycling system capable of shredding and recovering materials from any type of EV and lithium-ion batteries. The Universal Battery Recycling System (UBRS) will offer a reliable, cost-effective, and automated process for the safe and environmentally friendly recycling of EV and lithium-ion batteries across the UK.
The Faraday Institute and wider battery and manufacturing industries recognise the need for a revised policy and regulatory framework to address recycling issues across the entire EV battery lifecycle, including:
1. A coherent waste hierarchy strategy for lithium-ion batteries, which addresses end-of-life management and covers recycling, re-use, and repurposing of the batteries in the UK rather than abroad.
2. Clear regulation and policy on re-use and re-purposing.
3. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations that support a move to a circular economy model.
4. Eco-design criteria for recycling and remanufacturing.
5. Update and clarification of existing waste management law as it relates to EV lithium-ion batteries to ensure a high standard of protection for human health and the environment.
6. The introduction, as part of the review of the Waste Battery and Accumulator Regulations in 2021, of mandatory chemistry labelling requirements for lithium-ion batteries.
7. A strategy to create the conditions for a new lithium-ion battery recycling industry in the UK to flourish.
In order to support this framework and address the challenges outlined, Recyclus Group and the Advanced Materials & Processing Laboratory (AMPLab) at the University of Birmingham (UoB) will collaborate to create the first mobile battery recycling system capable of shredding and recovering materials from any type of EV and lithium-ion batteries. The Universal Battery Recycling System (UBRS) will offer a reliable, cost-effective, and automated process for the safe and environmentally friendly recycling of EV and lithium-ion batteries across the UK.
Lead Participant | Project Cost | Grant Offer |
|---|---|---|
| RECYCLUS GROUP LIMITED | £1,687,771 | £ 1,181,440 |
Participant |
||
| UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM | £242,801 | £ 242,801 |
People |
ORCID iD |
| Martin Guerin Kanouo Siegning (Project Manager) |