Recorded at the Fully Charged Live 2020 event in Austin, TX, Chelsea Sexton hosted a panel discussion on “Can batteries really be ethical, recyclable & sustainable?” The varied panel included, Vivas Kumar from Benchmark Minerals, Hans-Eric Melin from Circular Energy, Storage Research & Consulting, Marc Kohler from Lithium Werks, Zarko Medeldzija, American Manganese, and Nicolas Tremblay, Nouveau Monde Graphite.
Hundreds of people listened in on this important topic including recycling batteries, reusing batteries, and what materials we can reclaim. How do we reclaim these materials? What are the economics of recycling? How can we address the reusability on the design side of the batteries? Watch the YouTube video to hear the lively discussion.
Fun fact: The first patent for recycling lithium ion batteries was filed in 1993 by Valence Technology in Austin, TX.