VOA慢速英语--新的电池回收技术将使电动汽车更环保

New Recycling Methods Will Make Electric Vehicles Greener

Critics of electric vehicles say they do reduce carbon emissions¹, but the process of making the materials for their batteries produces large amounts of carbon.

Now, researchers in Britain and the United States have found ways to reuse old electric vehicle batteries. The methods can cut costs and carbon emissions while providing supplies for an expected increase in demand. The methods involve taking out parts of the battery so they can be reused.

National governments are looking for ways to get the minerals needed for vehicle batteries because they expect a strong increase in demand for electric vehicles.

The new reuse methods could provide a greater supply of valuable materials such as cobalt and nickel. They would also reduce dependence² on China and other places where mining operations may be difficult.

Batteries are unlike other metal products

Gavin Harper is a researcher at the government-backed Faraday Institution in Britain. He said, "We can't recycle complex products like batteries the way we recycle other metals. Shredding⁴, mixing up the components⁵ of a battery and pyrometallurgy destroy value."

Pyrometallurgy refers to the removal of metals using high heat. Current recycling methods also rely on shredding, or cutting the batteries into very small pieces, known as black mass. Then the pieces are processed into metals such as cobalt and nickel.

Analysts⁶ say this method for recycling is wasteful⁷.

The scientists working on the problem say it would be less costly⁸ and use less energy to do direct recycling. That method holds onto electrical parts such as the cathode and anode.

Researchers from the University of Leicester and the University of Birmingham are working on the Faraday Institution's ReLib project. The have found a way to use ultrasonic⁹ waves to recycle the cathode and anode without shredding. They have applied¹⁰ for a patent, government protection of their method.

In making the battery, a powder made up of cobalt, nickel and manganese is placed on an aluminum¹¹ sheet. Another metal powder, which would typically be graphite on a copper¹² sheet, makes up the anode. The new technology recovers these metal powders.

Andy Abbott is a professor of physical chemistry at the University of Leicester. He said separation using ultrasonic waves would result in cost savings¹³ of 60 percent compared with the cost of unused material.

Abbott compared the new ultrasonic technology with current technology based on hydrometallurgy, which uses liquids such as sulphuric acid and water to remove materials. He said ultrasonic technology can process 100 times more battery material over the same period.

Abbott's team has separated battery cells by hand to test the process. ReLib is working on a project to use robots to separate batteries and packs more efficiently¹⁴.

It takes time to get enough supplies from recycling, Abbot said. So, he thought the technology would probably begin by including extra material from battery manufacturing facilities.

Making money from recycling

In the United States, another a government-sponsored project called ReCell is in progress at the Department of Energy. ReCell is demonstrating different, but also promising¹⁵, recycling technologies that renew battery cathode to make it into new cathode.

ReCell is headed by Jeff Spangenberger. The group has studied many different methods, including ultrasonics¹⁶, but focused on heat and liquid based methods.

Spangenberger explained that the U.S. does not make much cathode. "So if we use hydrometallurgy or pyrometallurgy we have to send the recycled materials to other countries to be turned into cathode and shipped back to us," he said.

Spangenberger added that new methods that create higher profits for recyclers need to be developed "to make lithium-ion battery recycling profitable, without requiring a disposal fee to consumers, and to encourage growth in the recycling industry."

There are some problems that direct recycling needs to overcome, including changing knowledge of chemical processes, he said. "ReCell is working on separating different cathode chemistries."

Early electric vehicle battery cells typically used a cathode with equal amounts of nickel, manganese and cobalt. Scientists use the mathematical relationship 1-1-1 to describe this mixture. This has changed in recent years as manufacturers seek to reduce costs and cathode chemistries can be 5-3-2, 6-2-2 or 8-1-1.

The approach at Faraday's ReLib project is to blend recycled with unused material to get the required ratios of nickel, manganese and cobalt.

Words in This Story

battery – n. a device that is placed inside a machine (such as a clock, toy, or car) to supply it with electricity

emissions – n. something sent out or given off; used to describe harmful substances released into the air by automobiles¹⁷ or industry

recycle – v. to make something new from (something that has been used before)

cathode – n. the part of an electrical device (such as a battery) where electrons enter

anode – n. the part of an electrical device (such as a battery) from which electrons leave

shred³ – v. to cut or tear (something) into long, thin pieces

patent – n. an official document that gives a person or company the right to be the only one that makes or sells a product for a certain period of time

ultrasonic – adj. used to describe sounds that are too high for humans to hear

lithium – n. a soft silver-white element that is the lightest metal known; used in a rechargeable battery that uses lithium ions

disposal – n. the act of throwing something away

fee – n. an amount of money that must be paid

1 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

2 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

3 shred   

v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少

参考例句：

• There is not a shred of truth in what he says.他说的全是骗人的鬼话。
• The food processor can shred all kinds of vegetables.这架食品加工机可将各种蔬菜切丝切条。

4 shredding   

v.撕碎，切碎( shred的现在分词 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件）

参考例句：

• Like the Tehran experience, the shredding may be all for naught. 如同德黑兰事件中的情况一样，切碎文件可能是徒劳的。 来自时文部分
• How shredding began is subject to some guesswork. 粉碎处理行业的起源是个有争议的问题。 来自时文部分

5 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。

8 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

9 ultrasonic   

adj.超声的；n.超声波

参考例句：

• It was very necessary for people to take type-B ultrasonic inspection regularly.定期进行B超检查是十分必要的。
• Sounds are classified into two kinds: sonic and ultrasonic.声波分为两类，即普通声波与超声波。

10 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

11 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

12 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

13 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

14 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。

15 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

16 ultrasonics   

n.超音波学

参考例句：

• The ultrasonics stopped and the light went soft. 超声波停了，灯光也弱了一些。
• In medical and other applications of ultrasonics, a variety of electronic instrumentation is used. 超声波在医学和其它应用中，要使用许多电子仪器设备。

17 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》