International Congress for Battery Recycling (ICBR 2025)

On 11 September 2025, during the International Congress for Battery Recycling (ICBR 2025), Enrique Moliner from LOMARTOV addressed the pressing sustainability challenges of lithium-ion battery (LIB) recycling in his presentation “Life cycle assessment of industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling routes.” The session was chaired by Claude Chanson from RECHARGE, Belgium, and featured complementary presentations from Melanie Golomb (RWTH Aachen University, Germany) and Irdanto Saputra Lase (Minviro Ltd, UK).

Global demand for lithium-ion batteries is projected to reach 1000 GWh annually by 2025, exceeding 2600 GWh by 2030. In the EU alone, around 150,000 EV batteries are expected to reach end-of-life in 2025, rising to more than 1 million by 2030. This surge underscores the urgent need for efficient, sustainable recycling routes to manage material recovery and minimise environmental impacts.

Enrique focused his presentation on the environmental (LCA), economic (LCC), and social (S-LCA) dimensions of LIB recycling technologies, using baseline scenarios derived from real industrial plants. His research is based on the RESPECT's outcomes.

Environmental Impact (LCA): Recycling consistently shows lower impacts than primary raw material production. Net benefits are highest when recycling is conducted within the EU due to reduced transport distances.

Economic Impact (LCC): Hydrometallurgical routes offer greater profitability than pyrometallurgical ones, particularly for nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistries. However, profitability strongly depends on plant scale, with NMC recycling in Europe proving viable at 7 kt/year throughput.

Social Impact (S-LCA): Recycling mitigates the social risks associated with cobalt and nickel extraction in regions such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, and Gabon. Social burdens are highest in China but significantly lower in Europe, reflecting differences in labor and governance conditions.

Enrique Moliner (LOMARTOV)

Alongside Moliner’s analysis, Melanie Golomb presented a comparative life cycle assessment of recycled vs. virgin metals, highlighting the substantial environmental benefits of secondary raw material use. Irdanto Saputra Lase contributed a broad overview of LIB recycling sustainability hotspots, underlining the challenges of raw material recovery, energy intensity, and global disparities in recycling infrastructure.

The session emphasised that LIB recycling is not only a technical challenge but also a multi-dimensional sustainability issue. By integrating environmental, economic, and social assessments, researchers and industry stakeholders can better guide the transition towards a circular and responsible battery value chain.

As battery demand soars, EU-funded projects like RESPECT are vital for shaping recycling practices that minimise environmental footprints, ensure profitability, and contribute to global social sustainability.