One consequence of the rise of electric vehicles will be an increasing number of the lithium-ion batteries used to power them reaching the end of their useful life in a few years time. Around 1.2 million electric vehicle batteries could reach end of life in 2030 and 14 million in 2040.
That creates an opportunity for recycling and reuse of battery materials to help broaden out a supply chain for battery minerals and components which is currently highly concentrated in a few countries - something that the governments of many of countries are increasingly concerned about.
This has led to companies, universities, and public research centres accelerating innovation to recycle the critical raw materials and reduce reliance on primary mining.
A new report published by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) looks into global innovation trends for technologies related to battery recycling. The report: Battery Circularity: Innovation trends for a future source of critical materials, identified five key trends.
1. Battery circularity innovation has been growing faster than other battery technology fields
“The share of energy patenting represented by energy storage reached 40% in 2023, and data indicates that it is heading towards 50%. To our knowledge, no other energy technology has ever commanded such a dominant share. Patenting related to battery circularity is growing even faster than battery patenting in general, and far faster than the average across all technologies,” the report states.
2. Asian companies lead innovation across the whole value chain of battery recycling
Leading the way across the whole value chain of battery recycling is Asia, with China emerging as the leading region for innovation in battery circularity technologies. “While Europe and North America continue to generate important, globally relevant inventions, in 2023 Asian applicants accounted for 63% of IPFs in the field,” the report says.
“European companies and research institutes account for some 20% of IPFs in battery circularity, with strong activity in technologies for the collection of used batteries and for chemical transformation to provide the raw materials for new batteries.” The IEA says that this focus reflects Europe’s current role more as a battery user than producer.
The report adds that while growth in battery circularity has been faster in Asia, innovation in Europe is also expanding. “With targeted EU policy support, this activity could form the basis of a robust European battery circularity ecosystem.”
EPO President António Campinos said: “As this field becomes increasingly important in global resource systems, regions that combine strong industrial ecosystems, supportive policy frameworks and access to recycling feedstock will be well positioned to lead the circular battery economy.”
Further reading:
- Lithium: Remaking the global supply chain
- Growth in batteries is strong - but global supply chains must diversify to mitigate risk says IEA
- Battery energy storage system project kicks off £1 billion investment by Masdar
- Lithium-ion battery recycling: Measuring the environmental benefits
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