The first commercial lithium batteries were used in the 1970s for very specific situations, such as for devices that had to operate for long periods or under extreme temperatures. Today, just about everyone owns at least one device containing a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, such as the ubiquitous mobile phone. Unfortunately, many devices containing lithium-ion batteries are thrown out every year, and the mining of lithium is notoriously wasteful, all while demand for rechargeable batteries is rising.
Recent developments in the acquisition and recycling of lithium may spell good news for everyone, including gamers who like to play on laptops, smartphones, and other mobile devices like the Nintendo Switch. According to the World Bank, demand for lithium is spiking, and production needs to rise to five times what it is currently to keep up with projected demand by 2050. Fortunately, two new sources of lithium may make this element cheaper and more economical to acquire, therefore making lithium-ion batteries cheaper to manufacture in the long run, or at least they may keep prices from inflating dramatically.
One new source being looked into is geothermal brine, also known as hot spring water. Traditional mining methods have a high cost in terms of carbon emissions and the use of land and water per ton of lithium extracted, but UK-based company Cornish Lithium estimates it can extract the equivalent of one smartphone battery’s worth of lithium from the Cornwall hot spring every few seconds, using its own geothermal energy.
In addition, as the climate crisis pushes global demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and the first lithium car batteries reach the end of their life span, there is an emerging need for someone, anyone, to take the old batteries and just get rid of them. Lithium recycling startups such as Redwood, established in 2017 to process faulty EV batteries from Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada, aim to take old lithium-ion batteries and recycle them, separating out their elements so the precious lithium can be used for new batteries.
It’s not just the batteries themselves that gamers on the go can celebrate. Solar panel technology makes it possible to manufacture and run devices like a battery-free “Game Boy” that uses the power of the sun to operate rather than AA batteries or an electrical outlet. It is entirely possible that within the next decade, mobile devices will start utilizing their own solar-powered chargers rather than relying exclusively on the local electrical grid.
As gamers’ devices reach the end of their lifespan, it will become more important than ever for the materials that make up their internal components such as batteries and cathodes to be reclaimed and reused in new tech. The narrative around recycling rechargeable batteries largely focuses on how important green technology is for the sake of saving the environment, but one should not discount the importance of simply having enough material to go around. Without a doubt, the 2020’s will see tech recycling rise as a vital industry.
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