Hydrogen fuel cells are attracting attention as a next-generation energy source, and the development of recycling technology is also an essential issue., Dr. Tedja, anticipating the growth of this new power segment has developed a unique recycling processing technology. According to Dr. Tedjar, the development project was initiated at the request of EDF, a major French power company. The processing process involves dismantling and recycling used 200kWh hydrogen fuel cells. While the dismantling process is relatively simple, recycling the cells itself remains complicated and challenging.
The recycling method uses no-destructive dismantling followed by a hydrometallurgical process to separate carbon from metals, as opposed to the currently popular melting or incineration methods. Because no heat treatment is used, no carbon is emitted during the process. Chemicals used in the recycling process can be recycled in a closed loop. Pilot projects have achieved a 91% material recovery rate. Fuel cells contain important raw materials and valuable substances such as platinum, nickel, tungsten, cobalt, and vanadium, and the processing costs can be fully offset by recovering these valuable materials.
While the fuel cell recycling market is still at a pilot scale due to the small volume of used batteries, the recycling method developed by Dr. Tedjar and his team provides an essential solution to satisfy the Extended Producer Responsibility for batteries. Finally, he added, "This is a solution that may be particularly interesting for Japanese automakers."
(Translated from the article originally published in Japanese)
