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https://theconversation.com/taking-the-forever-out-of-forever-chemicals-we-worked-out-how-to-destroy-the-pfas-in-batteries-242769>
"Lithium-ion batteries are part of everyday life. They power small rechargeable
devices such as mobile phones and laptops. They enable electric vehicles. And
larger versions store excess renewable energy for later use, supporting the
clean energy transition.
Australia produces more than 3,000 tonnes of lithium-ion battery waste a year.
Managing this waste is a technical, economic and social challenge.
Opportunities exist for recycling and creating a circular economy for
batteries. But they come with risk.
That’s because lithium-ion batteries contain manufactured chemicals such as
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The chemicals carry the lithium –
along with electricity – through the battery. If released into the environment,
they can linger for decades and likely longer. This is why they’ve been dubbed
“forever chemicals”.
Recently, scientists identified a new type of PFAS known as bis-FASIs (short
for bis-perfluoroalkyl sulfonimides) in lithium-ion batteries and in the
environment. Bis-FASIs have since been detected in soils and waters worldwide.
They are toxic – just one drop in an Olympic-size swimming pool can harm the
nervous system of animals. Scientists don’t know much about possible effects on
humans yet.
Bis-FASIs in lithium-ion batteries present a major obstacle to recycling or
disposing of batteries safely. Fortunately, we may have come up with a way to
fix this."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
