Japan develops a method to recover up to 90% of lithium from used EV batteries

Japanese scientists have developed a new recycling method that recovers up to 90% of lithium from used EV batteries—double the rate of traditional methods—by using recovered lithium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide during processing. The technique also reduces carbon emissions by approximately 40% compared to conventional recycling and could significantly reduce Japan's dependence on imported battery minerals. However, the breakthrough faces practical challenges, as only about 14% of used lithium-ion batteries in Japan currently enter official recycling systems, requiring substantial improvements to collection infrastructure.