Doctoral student: Mie Engelbrecht Jensen

I work in the group of Professor Ivano Castelli at the Technical University of Denmark in the department of energy conversion and storage. I have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in physics and nanotechnology from the Technical University of Denmark as well. The research project is a collaboration between the Technical University of Denmark and Aalto University. 
 

In the near future, large quantities of battery waste will build up from the rapidly increasing electric vehicle fleet. Spent batteries constitute hazardous waste. Transition metals from battery cathodes and chemical compounds from the electrolyte are detrimental to humans as well as the environment if the environment is exposed to these.  Implementing battery recycling technologies at the industrial scale will contribute to the reduction of hazardous waste in society. Obviously, spent batteries contain the materials needed for production of new batteries. Furthermore, battery recycling will contribute to ensuring the supply of metals and other strategic resources, such as graphite.   

    
The aim of the research project is to develop battery recycling technologies.  At the Technical University of Denmark, we have expertise within materials science and computational techniques. The collaboration is with the group of Associate Professor Mari Lundström from Aalto University. Professor Mari Lundstrøm has expertise in hydrometallurgical recycling and circular economy of metals among others. By combining this broad range of expertise, the aim is to gain a better understanding of the limitations and challenges of battery recycling technologies and possible solutions to these.