Article URL: https://tech.supercarblondie.com/japan-recovers-up-to-90-of-lithium-from-used-ev-batteries/ Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48901569 Points: 253 # C…

In a ground-breaking step forward, Scientists from Japan have developed a new method to recover up to 90 percent of lithium from used EV batteries – and it suddenly feels like great news on Earth Day. With electric vehicles booming worldwide, the pressure is mounting to find smarter ways to deal with old battery waste. This new technique doesn’t just recycle materials; it recovers most of them at an unbelievable rate. And if it delivers at scale, it could change how EV batteries are made and reused for years to come. This huge breakthrough in tech has come from a recycling facility in Japan, where engineers have managed to extract around 90 percent of lithium from used batteries. That’s a huge leap compared to traditional methods, which often recover less than 50 percent of the material, especially since it feels like a win to celebrate this Earth Day. At the heart of the process is a clever chemical tweak; instead of using standard sodium hydroxide, the team swapped in recovered lithium hydroxide during recycling, which is a white powder. This helps convert battery waste, known as ‘black mass’, into high-purity lithium that can be reused in new batteries.