Battery Components & Recycling
The Accumulator and Its Second Life
In the "Battery Components & Recycling" group, the various components of the lithium-ion battery are being further developed. All battery components are examined along their entire life cycle – from the starting material to recycling – and are improved regarding costs and performance. One focus of current industry and research projects is on benchmarking available battery components, materials, and their suppliers. At the same time, the group is working on the optimized design of battery components and their manufacturing steps. Future materials and technologies from the post-lithium-ion area are also subject of research.
The group's second focus lies on the processes that follow the first life cycle of a battery. This includes "second use", for example as stationary storage, automated disassembly as well as remanufacturing and recycling. For the practical validation of the research results, the PEM experts make use of the affiliated battery cell production, module and pack manufacturing facilities, and equipment for manual dismantling in the "Battery Abuse Center" of the Electromobility Lab (eLab) at RWTH Aachen University.
Topics
- Supplier overview, material evaluation and benchmark analysis of battery components
- Battery component development
- Optimization of battery component manufacturing processes
- Influences of battery components on battery production
- Future technologies and materials of battery components
- Sustainability consideration and circular economy
- „Re-X“: Reuse, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing as well as testing and dismantling of EoL batteries
Research projects