Battery Recycling as a Business
Consider a new business but find out the return Batteries are expensive and have a relatively short life span. As discarded batteries grow by the tonnage, entrepreneurs are enticed to start a business in recycling. With an annual world market (2015) of $33 billion, lead acid is the most common battery in use. This is followed by Li-ion at $16.6 billion, NiMH at $2 billion and NiCd at $1 billion. All other chemistries only make up $1 billion. Table 1 lists the material cost per ton to build these batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are expensive to manufacture and this is in part due to the high material cost and complex preparation processes. The most expensive metal of most Li-ion is cobalt , a hard lustrous gray material that is also used to manufacture magnets and high-strength alloys. Knowing that billions of Li-ion batteries are discarded every year and given the high cost of lithium cobalt oxide, salvaging precious metals should make economic sense and one wonders...