Larry Magid: Breathing new life into old batteries

"These include the environmental impact of making the batteries and dealing with them at the end of their service life. There are also geopolitical and humanitarian concerns about where the raw materials come from (usually not the U.S.), the sometimes-dangerous conditions under which they're mined, and the challenges of recycling them responsibly. EV batteries typically contain toxic substances such as lithium, nickel and cobalt, which must be handled carefully throughout their life cycle."

"And it's not just EVs. Rechargeable batteries are in many household devices ranging from watches and hearing aids to home battery storage systems. My toothbrush, my smart ring, my TV remote control and some of my flashlights are among my many devices with rechargeable batteries. And, thanks to the global growth of EVs, phones, energy storage systems and rechargeable gadgets, the demand for batteries is growing rapidly,"

"One business addressing these issues is Redwood Materials, a Nevada-based privately held company that repurposes and recycles rechargeable batteries from things as small as hearing aids and cell phones to heavy equipment like Caterpillar's 108,000-pound electric underground mining loader. The company has a massive recycling program, but it also launched a division focused on repurposing, rather than immediately recycling, rechargeable batteries. For example, an old EV battery can be combined with others to create an array powerful enough to run a data center."

Electric vehicles and rechargeable gadgets are driving rapid global growth in battery demand. Battery production and disposal raise environmental risks and require careful handling because batteries contain toxic substances such as lithium, nickel and cobalt. Raw material sourcing often occurs outside the United States and can involve dangerous mining conditions and humanitarian concerns. Rechargeable batteries power many devices from watches and hearing aids to home storage systems and electric mining equipment. Repurposing used batteries can extend service life because many retain more than 50% usable capacity at collection, enabling second-life applications before final material recovery. A single battery can have three lives: initial use, a repurposed second life, and final material recovery.

Read at The Mercury News