Lithium-ion batteries are in demand. Among the most frequent applications are electric cars, aviation or storage power plants. They are light in weight and are considered the perfect storage device for sustainable electricity. But what do we do with the batteries when they are used up?
"Reuse is today's big issue," emphasise André Gazsó and Gloria Rose, who are currently conducting a project at the Institute of Technology Assessment (ITA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences on the safety and risk assessment of the secondary use of lithium-ion batteries. "If batteries were not used properly the first time or were damaged, they can also explode when they are reused. For proper recycling we first have to know which substances endanger the environment or pose a health hazard," Gazsó says.
The aim of the project, which is being carried out in cooperation with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, is, among other things, to develop safety guidelines for reuse. Learn more