On 2 Nov 2021 at 14:21, Peri Hartman via EV wrote: > But it's good to see that it's possible to extract metals and reuse > them, unlike compared to the plastics recycling debacle.
Here in the US, our problem is that we've let successful recycling be defined as profitable recycling. In some EU nations, governments require plastic recycling, period. It costs more than using new plastic? OK, we'll subsidize the cost, because recycling is an essential public good. Most of these places are also phasing in regulations to limit plastic use. THAT is the real key to controlling plastic waste. What comes first in reduce-reuse-recycle? For batteries: Longer cycle life and higher specific energy => reduce Transfer partly spent EV batteries to stationary energy storage => reuse Recover materials for new batteries => recycle > That implies 10% waste plus all the waste created from the > extraction process. On a large scale that would be a huge amount of, > probably, very toxic waste. This is where it gets sticky. Trading one environmental disaster-in-the- making for another might meet legal requirements and generate some good greenwashing PR, but it isn't really progress. We have to avoid repeating the mistakes we've made with lead batteries. It's true that most of the materials in them are recycled, and that's good, but too much of the processing is done in third-world nations with limited and/or unenforced regulation. We have a chance to do it right this time. Instead of letting the battery manufacturers ship scrap batteries thousands of miles (using heavy oil fueled high-pollution container ships) to get cheaper labor and limited regulation, we need some laws with teeth: 1. The process itself has to be as safe as possible. 2. It has to be carried out under strong environmental regulations in nations that actually enforce those regulations. 3. It should be done close to where the batteries and materials are used. While this process can for sure relieve the pressure on raw materials supply - and we absolutely need that for the kind of EV goals that several EU countries are setting - IMO governments will have to step in early to make sure that the net environmental effect ends up being positive. Otherwise the battery manufacturers and materials suppliers will - as always - do what's cheapest, not what's cleanest. David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey To reach me, don't reply to this message; I won't get it. Use my offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = If you don't get this joke, ask a nerdy friend. If you don't have any nerdy friends, try a bakery. You can usually find them buying pies on the 14th of March. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org No other addresses in TO and CC fields UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub ARCHIVE: http://www.evdl.org/archive/ LIST INFO: http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org
