posted by Betsy Jordan 1 year ago

Part of the appeal, one of the green credentials of lithium, is its recyclability. Religiously recycled, much of the lithium stashed away in batteries should be able to be recovered, reprocessed and reused.

Blue Energy, a joint venture of Honda and GS Yuasa, a Japan-based maker of batteries and electronics, has broken ground for a new lithium-ion battery facility. The new plant, being built in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto, Japan, will include manufacturing, sales, and research and development of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid vehicles. Like many other manufacturers Honda is hinging at least part of its future on lithium-ion batteries to power clean electrically driven cars.

Today we’re a long way from major automotive lithium recycling. Still, as lithium batteries in vehicles get closer to full commercialization, then Toxco, and perhaps newcomers into the business will probably be gearing up to meet the demand. It seems likely that now many lithium batteries, particularly the smallest ones, are not recycled but dumped in the trash. Given that so much is banking on lithium at the moment, it seems a shame to throw away any of this valuable resource.

Read more at: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2009/20090035.html