UW-Milwaukee professor developing strategy to turn EV batteries into fertilizer

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – As advances on technology create a greater need for lithium-ion batteries, the ability to recycle them to sustain the environment is becoming even more important. A professor at UW-Milwaukee is behind a method that could transform them into something essential.

By extracting ingredients from used lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, Mechanical Engineering Professor Deyang Qu has developed a strategy to transform EV batteries into fertilizer.

“We feel very good about it. We can introduce a new product, we can solve some of the problem, and in the meantime, we can educate our students,” Qu said.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Using a well-established ion-exchange process, Qu and his team were the first to recover lithium from