Report on plastic materials

Work done by AIMPLAS (www.aimplas.net)

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‍Introduction

As part of the FREE4LIB project, Task 3.5 focuses on how plastic materials recovered from dismantled electric vehicle (EV) batteries can be efficiently recycled. This work represents a key step in developing sustainable end-of-life strategies for battery components. Conducted at laboratory scale, it explores sorting, identification, and characterization processes for plastics providing the foundation for future large-scale recycling activities planned in FREE4LIB

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Context and Objective

Plastics are essential materials in modern electric vehicles. They combine lightweight design, durability, and versatility, helping reduce vehicle weight, energy consumption, and emissions. In battery systems, plastics are found in a wide variety of components from protective housings to cooling systems and connectors.

The main objectives of Task 3.5 were to:

• Identify and sort the different types of polymers present in EV batter
• Characterize their key properties and define feasible recycling case studies.
• Generate valuable data to support future scale-up and industrial recycling under Work Package

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Key Findings

The study highlighted the diversity of plastic materials found in EV battery packs, particularly engineering polymers such as PPE (polyphenylene ether) and PA(polyamide). These high-performance materials are used for their strength, chemical stability, and heat resistance but their cost also makes recycling an economically attractive option.

Three representative case studies were developed

• Battery module frames (PPE): The most abundant plastic components, requiring removal of metal inserts before shredding.
• Cooling system tubes and fittings (PA): Components that can be separated and ground into granulates suitable for reprocessing.
• EPP panels: Lightweight, foamed parts that need specific pre-treatments to produce uniform recycled pellets.

Laboratory tests confirmed that while some degradation in material properties occurs during battery service life, the recovered plastics retain sufficient quality to justify further recycling and upcycling trials.

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Recommendations and Next Steps‍

The results of Task 3.5 form a solid foundation for developing efficient recycling strategies for EV battery plastics. The next steps will focus on :

• Scaling up the recycling  processes in Task 4.5 to validate their industrial feasibility.
• Developing new thermoplastic compounds for reuse in battery components or other high-value applications.
• Advancing circularity in the EV sector by reducing dependence on virgin materials, saving resources, and minimizing environmental impact.

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By transforming used plastics into valuable raw materials, FREE4LIB continues to contribute to a more circular and sustainable battery value chain.

‍You can read the full deliverable here