HolE LIB- Developing a Holistic Ecosystem for Sustainable Repurposing and Recycling of Lithium-ion Batteries (LIBs) in Norway and the EU.

Funded by the NTNU Interdisciplinary Sustainability Initiatives.

From a Norwegian perspective, the battery value chain represents a major opportunity for sustainable value creation. Norway's renewable power resources and strong competence-driven materials sector provide an important foundation for developing circular and low-emission battery industries. Realizing this potential depends partly on effective strategies for reusing, repurposing, and recycling batteries and the valuable materials they contain.

This project investigates the fate of end-of-life batteries through a holistic approach that integrates technical, economic, and design perspectives. A key focus is the development of robust recycling processes that can handle diverse battery types, designs, and chemistries. Particular attention has been given to improving lithium recovery and enabling graphite recycling from lithium-ion battery anodes, both of which remain major challenges in current recycling systems. The project also explores how innovative separation processes can support circular economy development and sustainable business model innovation, and addresses customer acceptance of repurposed batteries, an area where research remains limited but is essential for successful market adoption.

The work brings together expertise in engineering, design, and economics through a multidisciplinary collaboration spanning the Departments of Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Design, Geoscience, and Industrial Economics and Technology Management, across four faculties at NTNU, and is funded by NTNU Sustainability, running from 2022 to 2026.

Since its start, the project has produced results across its five PhD/postdoc strands. On lithium recovery, green-solvent-based work has advanced methods for recovering lithium from oxalic acid black mass leachate and for direct lithium extraction (DLE) in battery recycling, alongside a pre-project on using industrial waste for low-cost cathode production. Work combining pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy has characterized how different pre-treatment processes transform black mass, informing optimized metal recovery routes. On green chemistry, research into graphite recovery and foam-flotation-based purification from end-of-life LIBs is ongoing, alongside completed work on LFP battery recycling. On the design and business side, comparative analysis of circular EV battery value chains across Germany, Norway, and Japan has identified differing national approaches to reuse and recycling, complemented by studies on sustainable business models for second-life batteries and on consumer acceptance of repurposed batteries in household settings, informed by an industry investigation in Norway and engagement with battery reuse company 4R Energy in Japan.

By evaluating reuse, repurposing, and recycling scenarios along the battery value chain, the project continues to generate knowledge that supports sustainable business models and strengthens Norway's position in the circular battery economy.