New batteries from recycled material

Purpose and goal

Recycling of battery cells will be crucial for an environmentally and ethically sustainable electrification of car transports. We have investigated how battery cells made from recycled cathode material (nickel, cobalt and manganese) function throughout the life of the cells. In particular, we wanted to investigate whether contaminations like copper, iron, aluminum or fluorine could have a negative effect. Unique to this study is that we investigated long-term effects and not only how the cells function when they are new, and also that we used an industrial recycling process.

Expected results and effects

Our function tests and analyzes show that Northvolt´s recycling process has produced a well working cathode material. When we use the cathode material in battery cells, we see no systematic difference in function and lifespan compared to raw materials from the extraction of primary materials. Northvolt has thus received confirmation that their recycling process provides sufficient purity of the materials. For Volvo, it means increased confidence when we develop circular flows for our car batteries. In addition, the knowledge of battery recycling at our universities has increased.

Planned approach and implementation

Battery packs from Volvo´s plug-in hybrid cars were hydrometallurgically recycled at Northvolt to produce cathode material in the form of nickel/cobalt/manganese sulfate. The composition of this material was analyzed at Chalmers. Northvolt then manufactured battery cells from this cathode material and also from primary material. Some cells were structurally analyzed by Uppsala University, while others were cycled with charge and discharge for a year to measure their degradation. One set of cells were calendar aged. Finally, the cycled cells were analyzed structurally.