Manochehr Oliazadeh

Courtesy of Manochehr Oliazadeh O ver the past decade, battery recycling was promoted as a cornerstone of the clean energy transition. Governments invested heavily, mining companies entered the space, and several startups promised a “closed‑loop” system in which end‑of‑life batteries would be transformed directly back into battery‑grade lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite.

High-price cycles are a common occurrence in the mining industry, but the most recent one in 2014 was notably prolonged and had a considerable impact on engineering design processes. The 2014 super cycle brought about significant changes in engineering expectations and the quality of feasibility studies. In response to the high prices of metals and favourable market conditions at the time, mining companies rushed to complete engineering designs and cost estimates to build their mines.