A Review of the EoL EV Batteries Sorting and Disassembly Challenges

Due to the pressing need to secure reliable and resilient supplies of critical minerals and materials for battery manufacture, recycling of end-of-life (EoL) batteries to recover their raw materials has received interest. If Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs) are not correctly managed after being retired from Electric Vehicles (EVs), this could also have a negative influence on the environment. Design heterogeneity among EV manufacturers has resulted in a range of physical configurations, cell types, and cell chemistries on the market, which creates complications for the recycling of batteries. Currently the processes of battery sorting and deep discharge are almost exclusively carried out manually. With the growing volume of batteries expected by 2030 automation will be vital to ensure safe and efficient processing of battery waste. This paper provides a short review of LIBs chemistries, recycling challenges, current sorting approaches, and implementation technologies.