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Explora: Environment
and Resource Critical minerals and battery recycling

4. Misconceptions and truths about climate by processing minerals, can also be called critical raw
crisis, energy, and battery recycling materials.

To reduce carbon dioxide emissions, interest in recycling, Securing critical minerals is affected by an imbalance
reusing, repurposing, and remanufacturing is increasing. in the supply and demand of raw materials, due to
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However, there is confusion regarding the use of these geographical bias and price fluctuations. One solution to
terms (Figure 4). Thus, the terminology should be this problem is to secure cobalt and nickel by smelting
precisely defined and distinguished to avoid confusion. deep-sea manganese nodules. 37-39 However, the Deep Sea
After the battery was separated from the electric vehicle Conservation Coalition, which consists of approximately
and its performance was evaluated, batteries with a 100 environmental groups worldwide, is fiercely opposing
performance below 80% were recycled, and those with a mining due to the destruction of unknown underwater
performance above 80% were reused, repurposed, and ecosystems and marine ecosystem diversity. Manganese
remanufactured. Reuse refers to using again of batteries nodules are deposited on the seafloor at a depth of 3,000
separated from electric vehicles for the same purpose as – 5,000 m, where water pressure is high; therefore, they
the electric vehicles. Repurposing refers to using again can be easily collected, and environmental pollution can
of batteries for other purposes. Remanufacturing refers be minimized compared to offshore oil development or
to the disassembly, inspection, and repairing of batteries onshore mineral development. Citing these points, Nauru,
to render them similar to new products. Therefore, a small island nation in the Pacific, recently applied for a
restoring battery performance through part replacement manganese nodule mining permit and requested that the
and using them in electric vehicles for the same purpose UN address the issue of ecosystem impacts. 40
should be called remanufacturing-reuse. In addition, To overcome the climate crisis caused by global
disassembling, inspecting, and repairing batteries for use warming, carbon neutrality implementation plans for
as Energy Storage Systems and Uninterruptible Power 2025 are being prepared one after another, and the
Supply Systems should be corrected for remanufacturing use of renewable energy and electric vehicles has been
and repurposing. suggested. However, this problem cannot simply be
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Another confusing term concerns critical minerals, key solved by switching to renewable energy sources and
substances, and core raw materials. Recently, as these terms electric vehicles. Humans’ desire for energy and power
have been increasingly mentioned, they have often been can be said to be instinctive. In addition, under an eco-
misused. Minerals are defined as industrial compounds friendly framework, the psychological barrier to entry
that occur in nature and have a certain chemical formula is reduced, which can lead to an accelerated increase in
based on the chemical combination of elements, such energy consumption. People need to secure a steady supply
as spodumene (LiAlSi O ) and pentlandite (Fe Ni S ). of energy because they will starve if they do not eat. They
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Therefore, it is incorrect to call metallic elements such as also need to fight and win against their enemies to survive,
nickel, cobalt, and lithium critical minerals, they should so they want more power (work efficiency, P = energy/
instead be called critical raw materials or core elements. time), and their desire is endless. Therefore, as long as
Cobalt sulfate (CoSO ·7H O), nickel sulfate (NiSO ·6H O), human survival instincts exist, global warming caused by
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and lithium carbonate (Li CO ), which are produced excessive energy use will be difficult to solve. To solve this
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Figure 4. Conceptual diagram of battery reuse, repurposing, and recycling

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2025) 5 doi: 10.36922/eer.8140