Abstract
The widespread consumption of electronic devices has made spent batteries an ongoing economic and ecological concern with a compound annual growth rate of up to 8% during 2018, and expected to reach between 18% and 30% to 2030. There is a lack of regulations for the proper storage and management of waste streams that enables their accumulation in open settings and the leakage of hazardous substances into the environment on landfill settings. In addition, recent trends in battery manufacture dictate the use of emerging materials like ionic liquids for electrolytes and nanostructures for cathodes to enhance their energetic properties and lifespan. The full impact of novel battery compounds on the environment is still uncertain and could cause further hindrances in recycling and containment efforts. Currently, only a handful of countries are able to recycle mass-produced lithium batteries, accounting for only 5% of the total waste of the total more than 345,000 tons in 2018. This mini review aims to integrate currently reported and emerging contaminants present on batteries, their potential environmental impact, and current strategies for their detection as evidence for policy and regulation.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 100104 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering |
Volume | 3 |
Early online date | 23 Apr 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jun 2021 |
Keywords
- Battery ecotoxicological effects
- Battery nanomaterial-waste
- Battery recycling solutions
- E-waste
- Legacy of battery contaminants
- Nanowaste
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Engineering
- Environmental Chemistry
- General Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
- Engineering (miscellaneous)