The Battery Waste Challenge: Can We Sustainably Manage Electric Vehicle Batteries?

The emergence of climate change and global warming concerns have shaken the political innovation roots to its core, and now, the dawn of new renewable energy is on the top. During the climate change revolution, the most considerable criticism for torturing Mother Earth was the fossil fuels used in our vehicles. Electric cars and rechargeable batteries have taken the lead in combating this earth-killing substance (fossil fuels).

However, just because something has the potential value to save our climate doesn’t mean it's legitimately free from other dangers. Lithium batteries, the forerunner of the electrical vehicle revolution as they set a rebellion to replace the cars operating on fossil fuels, have some concerns that eventually can turn into significant issues if not dealt with immediately.

Many climate activists are pushing the limits to promote electric cars for a more prosperous future. Still, they are falling short of realizing that lithium batteries are finite and, eventually, can’t be used. To make a greener world, we should also consider ways to dispose of these lithium batteries rather than form a graveyard of wasted batteries at every corner of this world.

To further elaborate on this issue, a critical review published in the International Journal of Environment and Waste Management by an engineering Indian team wrote on how well we are established regarding battery wastage of resources lost in the transport category.

Preeti Mishra and Sayali of the civil department of the Deemed University of Pune, India, have studied the necessary and significant factors that have contributed to the growth of the electrical vehicle market. They believe there is a need to have sustainable solutions for the environment and human health.

By 2023, there will be around 43 million electric vehicles on the roads, per the EV30@30 situation. The massive shift towards electric cars will severely reduce the dependency on fossil fuels, eventually reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere, thus resulting in less global warming. However, the only concern is that the increase in electric vehicles will also tremendously raise the waste generation of lithium batteries as years go by.

Although recycling is only feasible when reusing specific resources, recycling is only helpful for metals. Nearly all heavy metals are likely to end up in landfills worldwide.

Countries like the US and China are researching the matter of heavy metals from electrical batteries ending up in landfills but, at the same time, researching how the waste can be managed. Unlike the developed countries, the research being done in underdeveloped countries is almost nearly non-existent, and landfills of heavy metal in those nations are significantly higher than in the developed countries.

The rise of electric vehicles will save the climate and provide a cleaner transportation system free from carbon emissions and toxic gases. But still, as one problem is being solved, another is on the rise: waste management. To combat this futuristic problem, we must develop better battery chemistry, recycling methods, and waste management techniques.

Photo: Kindel Media/Pexels

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by Ahmed Naeem via Digital Information World