What are the hidden dangers of lithium ion batteries, and what about power lithium batteries in the future?

The power recovery decision-making consultation salon co sponsored by the Beijing Association for Science and Technology and the Literature and Information Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was held in Beijing Green Space Center yesterday. Fei Weiyang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, pointed out that in recent years, the key technology of pure electric drive has made great progress, and the core technology of electric vehicles represented by lithium ion has made a major breakthrough. However, the massive application of lithium batteries will also lead to the retirement of a large number of lithium batteries. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the research and development of advanced technologies for lithium battery recycling to achieve safe and efficient disassembly and overall recovery of valuable metals and prevent secondary pollution.

Weiyang believes that the recycling of power lithium batteries is related to environmental pollution and must be given high attention at the national level. The event brought together Beijing Association for Science and Technology, the Literature and Information Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, researchers, industry associations, Greenland Group and other capital and industry operators. Through their wisdom and efforts, we will certainly promote the healthy and rapid development of the industry.

In the report, Sun Zhi, a researcher of the Institute of Process Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, combed and introduced the recycling technology of lithium batteries in detail. He also believes that the focus of lithium battery recycling is from the perspective of resource supply security and environmental pollution. In the future, we should straighten out the industrial layout, improve equipment technology and pollution prevention, guide industrial policies, and prevent local market overheating and market fluctuations.

Cui Dongshu, an automotive market research expert of China Automobile Circulation Association, pointed out in the report that strong leadership in battery companies has become a feature of the development of the new energy automobile industry. The future development will bring huge crises and challenges to the entire automobile battery company. Therefore, battery recycling and resource utilization should be decided by the company (not the entire automobile company), especially the leading battery companies play a supportive and leading role.

Yang Qingyu, senior consultant of China Battery Alliance and senior researcher of Green Beijing Hui Energy Technology Research Institute, pointed out that the recycling industry chain includes battery recycling, pilot power, pretreatment, material recycling and other links. The integration of the industry chain will be the development trend, but the industrial links between technical barriers, data barriers and logistics must be strengthened to strengthen cooperation between upstream and downstream.

It is understood that with the rapid development of the new energy vehicle market, the lithium battery of new energy vehicles has entered a large-scale retirement period, which, on the one hand, has brought about resource waste and environmental pollution, on the other hand, many issues such as lithium battery recycling technology and standards need to be further discussed. Sun Xiaofeng, vice chairman of Beijing Association for Science and Technology, summarized that the power lithium battery is a systematic project involving resources, technology, market, policy and other links. The research results of experts and scholars from different perspectives will provide reference for government decision-making through the Beijing Association for Science and Technology. The development of new energy vehicles in China has entered a fast track. In 2018, the sales volume exceeded one million for the first time, reaching 1.27 million and 1.256 million respectively, with year-on-year growth of 59.9% and 61.7% respectively, ranking first in the world. It is estimated that the annual sales volume will exceed 2 million by 2020. The service life of power lithium batteries is generally 5-8 years, and the effective life is 4-6 years, which means that the first batch of power lithium batteries for new energy vehicles put on the market is basically at the critical point of elimination. According to the estimation of China Automotive Technology Research Center, combined with factors such as automobile scrap life and battery life, the total amount of waste power lithium batteries will reach 120000 tons to 200000 tons in 2018 and 350000 tons in 2025.

At present, there are two important directions for waste lithium batteries of new energy vehicles. One is cascade utilization, which is purchased by China Tower Corporation and used in the field of standby power supply for telecom base stations. The second is recycling. Waste batteries are disassembled, heavy metals are refined and reused. From the perspective of the whole life cycle, the batteries used in the cascade should be recycled after the final scrap.