R + D + i

Energy storage systems such as lithium-ion batteries are made of high-value materials that in some cases are scarce in the earth’s crust. Therefore, due to the increasing penetration of electric vehicles in the market, the demand for raw materials for the manufacture of lithium batteries has increased, and there is a need to look for new sustainable and local sources to improve the sustainability of the production process. Furthermore, in this context, it is essential for the sustainability of lithium batteries, to recycle them at the end of their life to recover their component materials so that they can be reintroduced at the beginning of the battery value chain for the manufacture of new batteries.

The REBALIRE project focuses, on the one hand, on the optimization of the process of obtaining silicon and sustainable carbon for the development of lithium battery anodes, from the revaluation of agroforestry and industrial waste containing significant amounts of silicon in its composition. On the other hand, it is intended to develop a recycling process for NMC type lithium batteries in order to provide a solution and face the imminent arrival of a large number of end-of-life batteries. Development is focused on the use of processes and technologies that improve recycling efficiency, reduction of toxic gas emissions, as well as the use of chemical agents in the extraction stages that are less environmentally damaging than the strategies currently employed.