Modeling Global Lithium Recovery Rates Under Variable Battery Chemistry and Lifetime Distribution Scenarios

The supply of secondary lithium from recycling is currently limited by uncertainties in battery lifetime and chemical diversity. This research direction uses simulation to model how different recovery rates impact global lithium supply chains by 2050.

Open to researchQuality 85/100Prior-standard auditP4 provenance

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In plain words

Recycling old batteries could add to the world's lithium supply, but it is uncertain how long batteries last and what they contain. This study would use simulations to see how those unknowns change recycled lithium supply by 2050.

Primary research question

How do variations in battery lifetime distributions affect the projected global supply of recycled lithium?

Knowledge gap

What remains worth asking

It remains useful to test the sensitivity of recycling supply models to changes in battery chemistry and collection efficiency.

Potential contribution

Why it may matter

Accurate supply modeling is vital for planning the circular economy of battery materials in the energy transition.

Academic placement

Academic fields and topic tags

2.5Materials engineering

Environmental ScienceIndustrial EngineeringEconomics

Study frame: Global lithium-ion battery recycling markets through 2050. · Method signals: Monte Carlo Simulation, Supply Chain Modeling

Possible study pathways

One question, different levels

Research master’s

Quantitative modeling of material recovery rates in circular supply chains.

Doctoral

Long-term forecasting of secondary material availability for sustainable energy systems.

originality: Moderate
methodology: Advanced
Data access: Moderate
ethics: Accessible

Quality and audit

85/100 quality

Safeguard-based audit was not recorded under the prior standard.

Focuses on the uncertainty propagation in recycling supply chain models.
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Provenance

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APA 7 source

Kresse, C., Bookhagen, B., Buarque Andrade, L., & Frenzel, M. (2025). Global Supply of Secondary Lithium from Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling. Recycling, 10(4), 122. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling10040122

Paper abstract and discussion context; AI-inferred direction

This is an AI-inferred direction. The source authors did not state it as a recommendation.

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