1.2V NiMH batteries

　　A Finnish company has developed a new recycling process that can increase the recycling rate of 1.2V NiMH batteries to more than 80%

　　Finnish clean energy company Fortum uses a low-carbon dioxide hydrometallurgical recycling process to increase the recycling rate of 1.2V NiMH batteries from the current 50% to more than 80%.

　　A new solution from Northern Finnish clean energy company Fortum makes more than 80% of electric vehicle (EV) batteries recyclable, bringing rare metals back into circulation and addressing sustainability by reducing the mining of cobalt, nickel and other rare materials gap. The current recycling rate for 1.2V NiMH batteries is about 50%.

　　"There are currently few economically viable technologies available to recycle most of the materials in 1.2V NiMH batteries. We saw an unsolved challenge and developed a scalable recycling solution for all industries that use batteries."

　　Fortum uses a low carbon dioxide hydrometallurgical recycling process with a recovery rate of 80%. First, the batteries are safe and can be mechanically processed, with the plastic, aluminum and copper separated out and used directly in their own recycling processes.

　　The hydrometallurgical recycling process allows cobalt, lithium, manganese and nickel to be recovered from batteries and delivered to battery manufacturers for use in the production of new batteries. The technology was developed by Finnish growth company Crisolteq, which has a hydrometallurgical recycling facility in Harjavalta, Finland, that is already capable of operating on an industrial scale.

　　“A circular economy in the strictest sense is about recycling an element back to its original function or purpose. When we talk about recycling of 1.2V NiMH batteries, our ultimate goal is to recycle the majority of the battery’s components into new batteries. Industry insiders said that battery recycling should not be regarded as the end of the industrial chain, but as the source, because the materials in batteries, especially heavy metals, are of great value and can be recycled and reproduced. At the same time, Fortum is also experimenting with the current hot topic of battery "ladder utilization", which is to use electric vehicle batteries for stationary energy storage applications after they are no longer suitable for their original purpose.

　　According to the International Energy Agency, the number of electric vehicles on the world's roads will increase from 3 million to 125 million by 2030. In 2015, the global lithium-ion battery recycling market was worth approximately €1.7 million, but is expected to reach more than €20 billion in the next few years.

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