Second life Recyclable lightweight battery housing

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Fraunhofer-Institut für Betriebsfestigkeit und Systemzuverlässigkeit LBF

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Researchers at Fraunhofer-LBF are developing a recyclable lightweight battery housing, thus giving a second life to old battery cells.

Lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles lose charging capacity over their use. They are no longer suitable for vehicle operation after a loss of capacity of 20 percent, as the range and fast charging capability are reduced. However, the remaining 80 percent capacity is sufficient for a stationary storage application.

In the research project Circulus, several already used lithium-ion traction batteries are to be converted into a stationary storage system. The novel lightweight construction of the overall system provides that the system can be dismantled in a sorted manner. This will reduce the sorting effort, resulting in high-quality material flows and implementing a functioning and sustainable circular economy.

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Operational Strength and System Reliability LBF want to develop battery cases made of plastic, among other things, for e-mobility that are as lightweight and recyclable as possible. A light and material flow appropriate disassembly is essential for a successful circularity of structural components in order to make sorting as efficient as possible. The material flows obtained from this should be processed into high-quality recyclates.

Through comprehensive analytics, researchers at Fraunhofer LBF aim to capture the quality and potential batch differences of the materials. This serves as the starting point for targeted material adaptation within the framework of the R-strategies for use in demanding and highly stressed applications. R-strategies are various recovery strategies that reduce the consumption of natural resources and support the circularity of materials. Quality improvement along the entire value chain can be achieved through adjusted additive addition.

Repurposing old batteries - a chance for the economy?

In the project "Circulus - sustainable battery system for the energy transition and new business models" funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, the conversion of old battery cells was researched in addition to recycling and the use of recyclates in battery cases. The results would show that the battery cells contained at the end of the vehicle's life often still have sufficient capacity and performance to be used in a second life as a stationary power storage. "This enables us to circulate the materials used and enables, among other things, sustainable use of the resource-intensive battery cells," says Eva-Maria Stelter, scientist at the Fraunhofer LBF and project leader of Circulus.

Sustainable development thanks to interdisciplinary approach

The use of already used battery cells from former traction storage systems in second life applications is a complex transformation process. "To cope with this, a transdisciplinary approach is needed to discuss the relevant challenges and questions in their complexity. This must take into account the most diverse perspectives of various scientific disciplines with regard to economic, ecological and societal aspects," explains Dr. rer. sust. Dominik Spancken, the first Doctor of Sustainability Sciences in Germany.