Singapore Pilot Uses Fruit Peels to Recover Battery Metals

Scientists in Singapore are testing a way to recycle old batteries using fruit peels.

They use orange, lemon and pineapple peels to help remove useful metals from batteries.

First, the batteries are crushed and separated into different materials.

The remaining black mass contains metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese.

In laboratory tests, orange peels helped recover more than 90% of these valuable metals.

The recovered materials can be turned into salts for making new batteries.

This could reduce both electronic waste and food waste.

The pilot plant has operated since late 2022.

Researchers are still checking whether the process works well and is affordable on a larger scale.