The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News - July 23, 2025
The newly launched ARC Training Centre for Battery Recycling will tackle all aspects of an optimized circular battery supply chain.
University of Adelaide Professor Shizhang Qiao
With more than 30,000 tons of lithium-ion battery waste forecast to be discarded annually in Australia by 2030, a new national center aims to turn the growing end-of-life battery challenge into a resource opportunity.
Led by the University of Adelaide, the newly established ARC Training Centre for Battery Recycling will focus on industry-led solutions to eliminate battery waste, develop new standards, and build Australia's battery recycling capacity from the ground up.
"The ARC Training Centre for Battery Recycling aims to close the gap in sustainable lithium-ion battery waste management by providing industry-led recycling solutions and training a skilled workforce to support Australia's circular economy," said University of Adelaide Professor Shizhang Qiao, who is leading the ARC Training Centre for Battery Recycling.
The University of Adelaide is joined by the University of New South Wales, the University of Wollongong, and six industry partners – Iondrive Technologies, Gravitas Technologies, PCI Green Technologies, Benan (Singapore), Pure Power, and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.
With a budget of A$14.92 million ($9.74 million), the university and industry partners will tackle all aspects of lithium-ion battery recycling – from screening and sorting to repurposing the recycled materials into new batteries.
University of Adelaide Professor Shizhang Qiao
"Operating across multiple nodes, the centre will address strategic challenges in battery recycling through five key research themes, with the University of Adelaide serving as the main hub for collaboration and innovation," Qiao said upon announcing the July 22 launch of the battery recycling collaborative.
The five research themes include:
• Pre-treatment and second-life management – Including the development of a digital platform to rapidly sort and assess spent batteries for recycling or reuse.
• Recycling spent batteries – Optimize methods for reclaiming valuable materials from batteries of varying chemistries.
• Resynthesizing materials for new batteries – Refine techniques to convert recovered materials – especially black mass – into high-grade inputs for new batteries.
• Design of new battery materials and cells for ready recycling – Investigate how batteries can be designed for easier disassembly and higher recovery yields for optimized recycling.
• Industrial standards – Establish protocols that set the foundation for Australia's future circular battery economy.
In addition to reducing environmental impacts, these research themes lay the foundation for a profitable battery recycling industry in Australia.
"Outcomes are expected to shape a distinctive battery recycling model that shifts Australia to zero battery waste to landfill, establish a profitable and self-sustaining onshore industry chain, and help ensure the future of Australia's energy security," said Professor Qiao.
The ARC Training Centre for Battery Recycling team comprises 13 university researchers and six industry partner investigators, each with expertise in electrochemistry, metallurgy, environmental engineering, battery design, and materials synthesis.
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