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The Recycling Journey of Used Batteries
June, 2025
What Happens to EV Batteries When They Die?
EV batteries don’t just retire when they stop powering your car. In fact, that’s when the next chapter begins. Think of it less like a funeral and more like a career change—they’re retiring from driving duty, but they’ve still got plenty to offer.
Electric vehicle sales hit nearly 14 million in 2023, climbing 35% from the year before. That means more batteries on the road today, and more that will need responsible recycling tomorrow. The good news? Most of these batteries still hold 70–80% of their original capacity when they retire from the road.
That kind of power shouldn’t go to waste. And it doesn’t have to. With advanced recycling techniques and the right filtration systems, valuable metals inside those batteries can be recovered, refined, and reused. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), recycled materials could help meet up to 30% of the global demand for key battery metals by 2040. It’s this growing potential (and urgency) that has more people asking what happens to EV batteries when they “die”, and how we can recover their value sustainably.
Let’s walk through the journey of what happens next in lithium-ion battery recycling, and how Pall helps make the process cleaner, more efficient, and ready for the future.
From Dead Battery to Valuable Resource: The Recycling Process
When an EV battery reaches the end of its life in a vehicle, it doesn’t go straight to the landfill. It enters a specialized recycling process that focuses on extracting valuable materials while minimizing environmental impact.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Shredding and Mechanical Separation
The batteries are first shredded into pieces to break down the casing, membranes, foils, and the all-important black mass, a powdery mix that holds lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese. Mechanical separation techniques are then used to isolate this black mass from structural components like the metal casing and separator materials.
This early-stage step is critical to ensure that valuable active materials are preserved while removing any bulky debris that might disrupt downstream processes. It also sets the foundation for high-efficiency recovery by concentrating target metals before chemical extraction.
Step 2: Acid Extraction of Valuable Metals
Once separated, the black mass is treated with sulfuric acid to dissolve the key metals into solution. This step enables cobalt, nickel, manganese, and lithium to be pulled into a usable liquid form, leaving behind solid graphite and other impurities.
To make sure only the good stuff continues on, bulk filtration systems are used to remove these residual solids. Pall’s solutions ensure the integrity of the metal-rich solution while maintaining throughput and protecting against equipment wear from corrosive environments.
Step 3: Metal Recovery Through Chemical Precipitation
The metal-laden solution now undergoes pH adjustment to selectively precipitate each metal. As the pH rises, cobalt, nickel, and manganese begin to form solid compounds that can be removed from the solution.
Each stage of this process requires precision, and Pall’s high-efficiency filtration ensures the metals are separated cleanly without residual cross-contamination. This makes the downstream refining process more consistent and cost-effective.
Step 4: Crystallizing Lithium Carbonate
Lithium, the final high-value target, is extracted by reacting the remaining solution with sodium carbonate. This forms lithium carbonate crystals, one of the most widely used lithium compounds in battery production.
These crystals are then filtered out and dried. Using Pall’s advanced filtration systems ensures the final lithium output meets purity standards and prepares them for reuse in new lithium-ion batteries.
Why Filtration Makes the Difference
Recycling EV batteries is more than a matter of chemistry. It’s a test of process precision. That’s where filtration comes in. Each step in the battery recycling chain presents a different challenge, from handling caustic solutions to removing ultrafine particles without losing valuable material.
Filtration helps keep the process consistent. It makes sure the metals are extracted cleanly, the chemicals remain pure, and the flow of materials doesn't get bogged down by clogs or contamination. Without proper filtration, recycling systems face higher costs, slower throughput, and more risk of quality issues.
Pall’s filtration solutions for lithium-ion batteries are designed to meet these demands head-on. Whether it’s resisting corrosion in acid extraction or capturing micron-level solids in lithium crystallization, Pall systems are built to last and to perform. Our depth filters, cartridge elements, and custom-engineered housings help recyclers maximize yield, minimize downtime, and reduce waste.
The result? A cleaner, safer, and more scalable recycling process that keeps critical materials in circulation and supports a more sustainable battery economy.
Closing the Loop, Cleanly
Recycling is about more than just waste management. It’s about circularity—keeping critical materials in play while minimizing environmental impact. As EV adoption accelerates, robust recycling will be key to keeping up with demand (and avoiding a global game of “Where’s the lithium?”).
At Pall, we’re here to help lithium-ion recyclers close the loop with proven filtration technology that enhances performance at every stage. Whether you're scaling a pilot program or fine-tuning an existing operation, we’ll help you do it cleaner, smarter, and with confidence. Because when it comes to recycling lithium-ion batteries, the end is just another beginning, and we’re here to make that comeback shine.
Want to dive deeper? Check out our blog on Challenges in Cathode Active Materials (CAM) Filtration to learn how material purity plays a role beyond the recycling process.