The big battery waste problem: Recycling to the rescue!
“The rise of electric cars could leave us with a big battery waste problem. […] Carmakers, recyclers, and tech startups are working to solve the question of how to deal with lithium-ion batteries when they wear out.” — Gardiner (2017, August 10), The Guardian
The above excerpt from a news article highlights the automotive industry’s push toward electric vehicles (EVs) in its pursuit of alleviating fossil fuel dependency and greenhouse gas emissions. Batteries are the core components of EVs, and Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the batteries of choice owing to their superior properties. The increasing EV demand is drastically raising the global demand for LIBs and their raw materials (conflict minerals and rare earth metals). However, the rising usage of LIBs leads to the big battery waste problem, characterized by an unprecedented accumulation of battery waste. It creates environmental pollution and raw material shortages as the batteries approach their end-of-life (EoL). Tackling this issue represents a scientific opportunity to revisit the interplays among sustainability principles, circular economy, and closed-loop supply chains. Closing the LIB-loop would entail batteries flowing back to the manufacturer for recycling. These recovered components can be used for new battery manufacturing, which is then brought to market. Many scholarly contributions posit LIB recycling as a pragmatic consolidation of these management principles and environmental concerns. Moreover, relevant market reports also urge the exigency of establishing LIB recycling industries as a reliable solution to the stated problem.
As India has joined other global players such as the USA, the EU, Japan, and China in substantially including EVs in their transportation policies, developing a sustainable practice of LIB recycling is vital. However, the industry is still in its infancy, and spent batteries from EVs are barely recycled. Even at the global level, there is a considerable recycling gap owing to various binding factors ranging from operational to strategic-level issues. To unravel the complex decision-making process that addresses the present predicament, it is necessary to identify critical factors that play a role in proliferating or weakening the LIB recycling industry. Evaluating the interrelationships among these enablers and barriers can further guide the decision-making required for the dawn and growth of this industry. With due acknowledgment of the ensuing research objectives, we focus on compiling and synthesizing the key barriers and enablers. The methodology adopted for the purpose involved a detailed literature review in identifying key factors, which is improved further using expert feedback through a three-stage Delphi study. The research team sought domain experts serving critical positions in this sector, with representatives from academia, practice, and policy planning — to represent multiple stakeholder perspectives. The Delphi method was implemented over seven months to validate the list of identified barriers and enablers. Practitioners mainly were in leadership positions, including CEO, CSO, vice president, director, and senior manager from the automotive industry, including LIB manufacturing unit and battery recycling firm. Policy planners were from federal and state government organizations dealing with EV policy and regulations. Academic researchers were mainly university professors and doctoral candidates conducting and publishing research on EV, closed-loop supply chains, recycling, and EOL management. All three groups of stakeholders had an acceptable level of knowledge of LIB recycling.
The Delphi study results are then taken up for a quantitative empirical investigation in the form of a multiple-criteria decision-making problem defined by blending grey theory with the DEMATEL (decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory) technique to evaluate interdependencies among the barriers and enablers. The outcome of the hybrid Delphi study implies that the perspectives of policy planners and academic researchers align more closely with each other than either does with the practitioners. Both prioritize policies that regulate LIB recycling. Robust take-back schemes also need to be incorporated into the business models of EV and/or LIB manufacturers, which are to be held by the firms themselves at the operational level and by the government at the strategic level. The practitioners’ perspective connects with the cognizance of the benefits of increased collaboration and coordination with other stakeholders to optimize firm performance.
Technology is the biggest challenge for countries switching from conventional internal combustion engine vehicles to EVs. Each stakeholder has a role in the complex decision-making process in transitioning the Indian LIB recycling industry from a non-existent to a sustainable one. India has a promising yet long road ahead as a leading hub for EV battery manufacturing and recycling, but currently, it faces stiff competition from other global leaders. The key findings of this study can be inferred to collectively shape effective policy levers to reinforce a sustainable LIB recycling landscape for India and beyond.
So, the future for EVs is bright in India but depends on certain factors. When our infrastructure and environment deliver to their best potential, we will surely be free from the big battery waste problem and rescued towards recycling.
The above write-up is based on two recent publications by the author that are listed below:
1. Bhuyan, A., Tripathy, A., Padhy, R. K., Gautam, A. (2022). Evaluating the lithium-ion battery recycling industry in an emerging economy: A multi-stakeholder and multi-criteria decision-making approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 331, 130007.
2. Tripathy, A., Bhuyan, A., Padhy, R., Corazza, L. (2022). Technological, Organizational, and Environmental Factors Affecting the Adoption of Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management.
