Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash (illustrative)
On 24 January 2025, Stanford University researchers published a life-cycle study in Nature Communications comparing metals recovered from used lithium-ion batteries with newly mined ones. Using real operating data from North America's largest industrial-scale battery recycling plant, in Nevada, they found recycling was much cleaner.
Key facts
Converting mixed streams of used batteries into battery-grade materials reduced environmental impacts by at least 58% compared with mining and refining.
Overall, recycled materials had less than half the greenhouse gas emissions and used about a quarter of the water and energy of mined equivalents.
For factory scrap, emissions were about 19% of mining's, water use 12% and energy use 11%.
Steps before refining made up less than 4% of recycling's impacts, against 30% for conventional mining supply chains, partly because mined materials travel tens of thousands of miles.
Why it matters
Demand for battery metals is rising fast with electric vehicles. Independent, peer-reviewed evidence that recycling sharply cuts emissions, water and energy use strengthens the case for building a circular battery supply chain.
Worth noting
The results rely mainly on data from one company, Redwood Materials, whose process is not yet the industry standard. The benefits depend heavily on the local electricity mix, which can change emissions by up to five times.