Scientists at the Technology University of Vienna (TU Wien) have found a way to turn battery waste into fuel, developing a nanocatalyst that converts CO2 into methane using spent batteries and aluminium foil.
The process extracts nickel from nickel-metal hydride batteries and alumina from discarded aluminium foil to create a high-performance catalyst that can transform CO2 and hydrogen into methane at relatively low temperatures. Unlike many industrial catalysts that require high pressure and temperatures exceeding 500°C, it functions at atmospheric pressure and 250°C.
Nickel recovery is also an economic priority due to its role in clean energy technologies like electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The EU could source up to 16% of its nickel demand from battery waste by 2030, enough for up to 2.4 million EV batteries annually, according to the European Federation for Transport & Environment. However, current recycling capacity is only one-tenth of what is needed.
... to continue reading you must be subscribed
