Topic: Innovative Technologies, Life Cycle Analysis and Government Policies for Waste Lithium-ion Battery Recycling and Reuse

The global demand for batteries is largely driven by the increasing need for electric mobility and energy storage applications. The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) to decarbonize the transport sector and Energy storage systems (ESS) to support the adoption of renewable energy in recent years has led to massive demand and battery production. Lithium-ion batteries have emerged as the dominant choice for EVs, ESS, and energy-demanding consumer electronics due to their outstanding energy storage attributes, such as high energy density, extended lifespan, and excellent resilience. In the foreseen future, it becomes evident that lithium-ion batteries will constitute a significant portion of our waste battery stream. This underscores the critical importance of lithium-ion battery recycling and reuse as essential parts of building a sustainable energy value chain and achieving a circular economy. A life circle analysis of battery recycling and reuse provides high-level insights into associated critical matters, including carbon emissions, various costs, and resource consumption. Governments worldwide have implemented various policies to promote and accelerate the adoption of EVs and renewable energy, which, in turn, have had diverse impacts on battery recycling and reuse efforts in recent years.

This Special Issue will focus on the following topics: 

● Material recovery from batteries containing lithium, including lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer, and lithium metal batteries, etc. ;

● Battery discharge, repurposing, and second-life reuse;

● Storage, transportation, fire prevention, and fire treatment of waste batteries;

● Challenges associated with lithium battery recycling;

● Utilization and applications of recycled waste battery materials;

● Government policies, industry initiatives, legal considerations, market responses, and consumer behaviors to battery recycling or reuse;

● Comprehensive life cycle assessments.