Technological Impact Assessment

The Technology Impact Assessment Unit deals with systemic considerations of the interdependencies between technology development, economy, ecology and society in the recycling of lithium-ion batteries. It is jointly run by the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities and at the Institute of Technical Chemistry at TU Bergakademie Freiberg.

With the rising demand for lithium due to the increasing market penetration of electric mobility, there is also a growing need for sustainable recycling capacities alongside the primary extraction of this important battery component. At the same time, recycling is a key prerequisite for the transformation from a linear economy to a circular economy.

To date, battery recycling has mainly focused on valuable metals such as aluminum, copper, cobalt and nickel. Lithium however, is a special metal which is present only in very small quantities in batteries. Its recovery is problematic insofar as it requires complex processes.

The COOL process developed at the Institute of Technical Chemistry represents an innovative alternative as it recovers lithium from the black mass of spent batteries with comparatively low chemical requirements and a high recovery rate of around 95%.

The joint project examines primary extraction and recycling methods in terms of sustainability. For example, the primary extraction of lithium from brine or solid rock is compared with the COOL recovery process using literature data and primary data respectively.

In terms of environmental impacts, the focus is on global warming potential, energy and resource consumption and the use of natural space.

As recycling capacities are still being built up after the market ramp-up of electromobility, costs are expected to fall significantly in the future, especially in the case of large-scale implementation.

From a societal perspective, issues of supply security as well as job-related risk potential and factors that promote and inhibit sustainable recycling are discussed.