Although graphite represents up to a quarter of the weight of the batteries, no one has yet come up with a viable plan to recycle it, according to Vanderbruggen.
"Battery manufacturers were not interested" in recycled graphite up to now because"they could get it at low cost in China", Vanderbruggen told AFP. Vanderbruggen also works as a consultant for businesses exploring the opportunities that recycling electric car batteries could bring in the future.Increasing raw material costs and shortages have led to a surge of interest in the field.
In theory, the technology now exists to recycle almost all the materials that make up lithium-ion batteries, according to the experts interviewed by AFP.