A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor has unlocked an innovative strategy to turn discarded electric vehicle batteries into fertilizer that can help increase crop yields and food security.
UWM reported about this exciting breakthrough that could address the massive increase in expired lithium-ion batteries expected due to the rise in electric vehicles. These batteries can be extremely dangerous if they are put through the standard trash systems — causing fires and explosions in refuse trucks. Proper disposal of these batteries is expensive, though, and their materials have had little value until now.
Deyang Qu, a professor of mechanical engineering, was concerned about this problem and decided to create economic opportunity by repurposing the batteries. Qu and his team were able to recover the lithium from lithium iron phosphate batteries and replace it with potassium using ion-exchange. After this, the researchers were left with key ingredients for fertilizer.
"Once we obtain support for the recycling-separation portion of the project, we will continue collaborating with the USDA to produce enough material for a one-acre tomato crop trial," Qu said. "Those results will help us market this idea to major fertilizer companies."
As of now, most of the elements and minerals needed to make fertilizer are imported, so any opportunity to produce fertilizer domestically could boost local economies and lower costs, not to mention the positive environmental impacts of limiting dependence on mining and transport of materials.
These are all added benefits of repurposing of old batteries, which contribute to our growing waste problem in landfills, oceans, and many other places.
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"Right now, it costs more to recycle the batteries than the value of what we recover," Qu said. "But if we can turn those elements into fertilizer, we not only reduce waste but also support agriculture in Wisconsin and beyond."
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