New Delhi : Electric vehicles are being promoted in India to reduce the amount of air pollution, but along with this, concerns are also being raised about the lithium ion batteries used in them. The biggest problem remains regarding its disposal and recycling. Recently, students of IIT Kanpur in one of their research reports have emphasized that electric vehicles, which are considered important for environmental protection, will only increase environmental pollution instead of reducing it. Behind this he revealed that the lithium ion batteries being used as fuel to run electric vehicles will increase the amount of carbon waste and poisonous gases like carbon dioxide in the environment. These students have argued in their research report that lithium ion batteries are charged with electricity and in most of the power plants in India, electricity is produced from coal. This will increase the amount of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere. Their second concern is regarding the disposal and recycling of lithium ion batteries. He has said in the report that if these batteries are not disposed of properly, there will be an increase in carbon waste in the country, which will increase environmental pollution. But, there is nothing to worry about. There are many companies in India, including Tata Chemical, which are working towards recycling lithium ion batteries.
Why is recycling of lithium ion batteries important?
Recycling of lithium ion batteries is important for environmental and economic reasons. Valuable materials like lithium and cobalt are used in these batteries used in electric vehicles and electronic devices. Recycling can reduce the need for resource-intensive mining and reduce the impact on the environment. Additionally, proper disposal of lithium ion batteries can prevent toxic substances. Lithium ion batteries recycling not only protects the environment, but also plays an important role in resource conservation and energy storage.
Atero Recycling
Lithium-ion batteries used in gadgets and electric vehicles are facing recycling challenges as they grow in popularity. It is important to recycle these batteries in an efficient manner to meet the material demand and address environmental concerns. Sustainable solutions are needed to move beyond environmentally unsustainable dependence on mining. Noida-based startup company Atero Re-cycling was founded by Nitin and Rohan Gupta. Its concept was prepared in 2007. Atero Re-cycling says it is India’s largest electronic asset management company and has been ranked as the top EV battery recycling company in India. They are known as the world’s most advanced lithium ion battery recycling company. For this, this company has signed agreements with about 90 percent of the automobile companies of India. These include MG Motors, Hyundai Motor India, Tata Motors, LG, Whirlpool and Godrej etc. At present, this company recycles about 3,500 tonnes of lithium ion batteries annually, work is being done to increase it to 6,000 tonnes annually. Additionally, a new plant is underway in Telangana, which is set to increase the capacity to 12,000 to 13,000 tonnes.
Tata Chemicals
Taking a significant step forward in the energy science sector, Tata Chemicals has reached an important milestone by starting the commercial recovery of cathode active materials from lithium-ion batteries. This emphasizes the company’s commitment towards sustainable practices in its energy science business and building a circular economy. The company has set up plants for recycling lithium ion batteries near Mumbai, in which valuable metals like lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese are recycled at a purity level of more than 99 percent. This not only reduces environmental pollution, but also conserves energy and natural resources by extracting less raw materials from the earth.
recycle
A startup called Recycle Karo has set up India’s largest and most sustainable lithium-ion battery recycling plant on 17 acres in Palghar, near Mumbai. The company efficiently extracts metals from scrap lithium ion batteries with over 90 percent efficiency and over 99 percent purity. Currently, the plant can process 2,500 metric tons of lithium-ion batteries and 7,500 metric tons of electronic waste and there are plans to expand it to 50,000 metric tons by 2025. Additionally, it is the only company in India that recycles more than 90 percent of its critical elements.
Ziptrax Cleantech
Ziptrax was founded in December 2016 by Rohan Singh Bais and Sonia Singh in Delhi. Ankur Tyagi had participated in this in 2018. It is a startup dedicated to leveraging AI-based technology to extend the life of lithium-ion batteries. The company has developed an AI tool to effectively separate useful lithium-ion from damaged cells, using a hydrometallurgical process to extract valuable chemicals such as nickel, cobalt and manganese from the battery. With an R&D unit in Delhi and a processing unit in Ghaziabad, Ziptrax focuses on R&D, manufacturing battery prototypes and supplying cathode and anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.