Laser-based battery pack disassembly: A compact benchmark analysis for separation technologies

The global decarbonization will have to be driven by the e-mobility sector to achieve the climate goals. End-of-life battery packs therefore need to be recycled efficiently and sustainably so that a cost-competitive circular economy can be adopted. In current process approaches, once the battery is discharged, disassembly is typically performed manually in a process that is not automated and dangerous to workers. To disassemble, first the battery cover must be removed, whereby current technological approaches focus on screw connections, which are difficult to loosen due to their condition after many years in the vehicle and cause poor automation capability. Another alternative is to mechanically mill the battery cover, which creates chips inside the battery pack that can cause short circuits. Waterjet cutting, which is also a process approach, faces the challenge of water getting into the battery pack, which can also lead to short circuits. Therefore, there is a need for new technological approaches which can dismantle an automotive battery pack productively with enhanced safety standards for workers and batteries. For this purpose, this paper performs a compact benchmark analysis of different separation technologies to identify initial potentials and challenges for laser-based disassembly of automotive battery packs.