The Powerful Possibilities of Recycling the World's Batteries | Emma Nehrenheim | TED

翻译人员: Chen Xuan 校对人员: suya f.

So the world is going electric.

世界正在走向电气化。

And batteries will do for electrification what the refrigerator did for food,

电池对电气化的作用 就像冰箱对食物的作用一样，

because batteries will allow us to move clean energy

因为电池能让我们超越时间和空间地

through time and through space.

使用清洁能源。

And we don't have a problem with the availability of energy

而且解决了我们在地球上(不同地区）

on this planet.

的能源的可用性问题。

We have a problem with getting this energy to where we need it,

（就是）我们将能源输送到需要的地方

and when we need it.

和需要的时间的难题。

But if we approach battery manufacturing the wrong way,

但是如果我们以错误 的方式进行电池制造，

we will end up repeating mistakes from the past,

我们最终会重复过去的错误，

mistakes that are at the heart of the climate environmental crisis

即造成我们当下气候环境危机的

that we see today.

核心错误。

And that's what I'm here to explain.

这就是我在这里要解释的。

It's all about the way we are using the Earth's resources.

这完全取决于我们使用地球资源的方式。

So historically, and today,

所以从过去到现在，

we have been mining oil from the Earth's crust

我们一直在从地壳中开采石油

with little concern for the long-term effect.

且几乎不关心（它造成的）长期影响。

And this example of how we’ve been approaching the fossil fuel industry

这个例子说明了我们化石燃料行业的方式

and how we've been dependent on it,

以及我们如何依赖化石燃料，

how we have been extracting oil where it's economically possible,

如何在经济可行的地方开采石油，

refined it, burned it, and it ends up in the atmosphere --

提炼它、燃烧它、 最终排放至大气层——

that's the perfect illustration

这就是典型的例子

of the fundamental, simple and linear model

我们目前正在使用的

that we are working with:

简单的线性的工作方式：

extract, use and discard.

提取、使用和丢弃。

When I was a professor in environmental engineering,

当我还是环境工程教授时，

I used to teach my students that mistakes are OK,

我曾经告诉过我的学生，犯错是正常的，

as long as you learn from your mistakes,

只要你从错误中吸取教训，

and as long as you take action.

并且采取行动。

So now, when we are evolving,

所以现在，当我们在逐步发展时，

when we are changing,

当我们在不断变化时，

when we are building things from scratch,

当我们从全新开始构建行业时，

we should think twice, and we should do it right this time.

我们应该三思而后行 并且确保这次要做的正确。

And what does this mean for batteries?

这对电池行业意味着什么？

There are two things we need to know about batteries.

关于电池，我们需要了解两件事。

One is they require enormous amounts of energy to produce,

第一是它们需要大量的能源来生产，

and the second is that they are made from minerals,

第二是它们是由矿物制成的，

minerals that require global mining, refining and processing,

需要全球范围的开采、精炼和加工，

and long and complex supply chains.

以及漫长而复杂的供应链供应的矿物。

So if we start with energy,

所以如果我们先从能源开始，

a battery factory is a very large and complex operation.

电池制造是一个非常庞大和复杂的操作。

It requires large amounts of heat and electricity to produce.

它需要大量的热能和电能来生产。

It starts with a chemical plant;

首先从化工厂开始;

then follow long coating machines.

然后需要大型喷涂设备。

After that, we have cell assembly,

之后，进行电池组装，

which is fine electronics equipment that require clean and dry rooms.

通常在清洁且干燥的厂房内 使用精细的电子设备。

Now at the end of this process,

这个工序结束时，

each and every battery cell

每个电芯

needs to be charged and discharged in certain patterns

需要以特定模式进行充电和放电

to gain its properties.

以获得其特性。

And if we put this kind of factory under a fossil fuel grid,

如果电池制造厂使用化石能源的电网，

we will end up with a carbon footprint,

最终将产生的碳足迹

which is the benchmark today,

按照当下的基准计算，

which is around 100 kilograms of carbon dioxide

每生产一千瓦时容量的电池，

per kilowatt-hour of produced battery.

会产生大约100公斤的二氧化碳当量。

And how much is that?

那这个是多少产生量？

If we take it at scale,

如果将数字放大规模，

20, 30 years ... of battery manufacturing

按照电池制造行业20或30年计算，

will give the total footprint of about half the size of Germany's.

（产生二氧化碳当量）总占地 面积约为德国的一半。

Now that would be a big mistake.

这将是一个严重的错误。

Luckily, you can slash that footprint by some 67 percent --

幸运的是，可以将 这一碳足迹减少约67%——

that's two-thirds --

即减少三分之二——

if you put the same operation on the renewable energy grid,

如果使用可再生电网下进行同样的生产，

which we do, in northern Sweden.

我们在瑞典北部就是这样做的。

That, on the other hand, leaves us with the remaining footprint,

另一方面，余下的碳足迹，

the last third,

即最后的三分之一，

coming entirely from everything that is outside the factory,

完全来自（电池制造）工厂外的一切，

and the lion's part from the supply chain.

以及供应链中的大部分。

And that leads us to the second topic we have to talk about,

这就引出了我们必须讨论的第二个话题，

which is the minerals.

那就是矿物。

So batteries are made from minerals --

电池是由多种矿物制成的——

for example, nickel, cobalt and lithium --

例如，镍、钴和锂——

and the way we approach this is going to determine

我们处理这个问题的方式将决定

how much we can further slash that carbon footprint.

可以进一步削减多少碳足迹。

Luckily, if we put it under this renewable grid,

幸运的是，如果我们把它 放在这个可再生电网下，

if we approach it the right way,

并且我们以正确的方式处理它，

with sustainable mining and a lot of recycling,

即通过可持续采矿和大量回收利用，

we can significantly reduce the footprint.

我们可以显著减少碳足迹。

One tonne of battery-grade lithium

一吨电池级锂

requires 750 tonnes of brine

需要 750 吨卤水

or 250 tonnes of lithium ore.

或 250 吨锂矿石。

Same with cobalt --

钴也一样——

if you need one tonne of battery-grade cobalt,

一吨电池级钴，

you have to mine 300 tonnes of cobalt ore.

需要开采 300 吨钴矿石。

So does this give us a similar situation to the oil history we have?

那么，这是否给我们造成了 之前化石能源时期类似的情况？

No, because the difference is that when we mine metals,

答案是否定的，不同之处在于，

they are elements.

当我们开采金属时，它们是元素。

And if you can get elements back to their elemental form,

如果能让元素恢复到它们的元素形式，

they are just as good as new.

它们和全新的一样。

And this is the fundamental difference

这是我们现在生活的

between the combustion-engine history that we're living now

内燃机工业和新兴的电动汽车工业之间

and the new electric vehicle industry.

最根本的区别。

Because at the end of the life cycle,

因为在生命周期结束时，

you can bring the metals back from the market,

可以把金属从市场上回收，

and you can use them again and again.

然后一次又一次地使用它们。

So what we have developed at Northvolt is a recycling process,

因此，我们在Northvolt 研发的是一种回收工艺，

where we take the batteries back from the market,

我们从市场上回收电池，

we discharge them fully,

完全放电后，

we take away the aluminum casing,

拆解铝制外壳，

we take away all the cabling,

摘除所有的电缆，

and then, we take out the cells and the modules.

然后取出电芯和模块。

We take those cells and modules,

将这些电芯和模块，

together with some waste material we have from the production,

连同生产过程中的一些其他废料，

and we throw it into a big shredder.

投放至破碎机中。

We chop it up.

进行彻底破碎。

We take out the copper foil, aluminum foil, some plastics.

然后取出铜箔，铝箔，一些塑料。

And then, we are left with something that we call the black mass.

然后，只剩下一种我们称为黑粉的东西。

And this black mass is a fine black powder.

这种黑粉是一种细小的黑色粉末。

This fine black powder

这种细小的黑色粉末

consists of everything that we had coated on the electrodes in the factory.

包含在电池工厂涂在电极上的所有东西。

It's the graphite from the anode,

它包含来自阳极的石墨，

and it's the nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium

它包含来自阴极的

from the cathode.

镍、钴、锰和锂。

We take this fine powder, the black mass,

我们将这种细小的黑粉，

we pass it on into the hydrometallurgical process ...

进行湿法冶金工艺中处理.....

Hydrometallurgy means treating metal in liquid.

湿法冶金是指处理液体中的金属。

And what we do

我们所做的就是

is that we use different pressure changes, temperature changes and pH

使用不同的压力变化、温度变化和pH值

to separate them from one another.

将（金属元素）彼此分开。

We refine them, so we get them into the form that we need

提纯不同元素后，转化成 生产过程所需的形态 --

for the production --

salts for nickel, cobalt and manganese,

即镍、钴和锰的盐，

or hydroxides for lithium.

或锂的氢氧化物。

And then, we do like this.

然后，我们这样做：

We send them across site, straight into production.

把它们送到各个工厂，直接投入生产。

So what we have is a circular battery economy.

因此，我们实现了循环电池经济。

And this is the fundamental difference between the combustion-engine industry

这就是内燃机工业和

and what we are building now.

我们现在正在构建的工业的根本区别。

We should do this not only for batteries.

我们不仅应该为电池这样做。

We should do it for wind turbines, we should do it for solar panels,

应该为风力涡轮机、太阳能电池板、

we should do it for all the new industries that we need for this transformation.

为所有转型所需的新兴行业这样做。

(Applause)

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause continues)

（掌声继续）

And we're going to have to accept mining as part of this transition, absolutely.

我们不得不接受采矿 是这一转变必需的一部分。

But when we are taking things from the Earth's crust,

但是当我们从地壳中挖掘资源时，

when we are borrowing from the future generations,

当我们向子孙后代借用时，

we have to do it responsibly,

我们必须负责任地去做，

and we have to make sure that we can use these materials

我们必须确保可以回用这些资源

over and over, and over again,

一遍又一遍，一遍又一遍，

because fundamentally, we can.

因为从根本上说，我们可以做到。

And we should not only build recycling processes

我们不仅应该建立回收体系

and a port for the materials when they come to their end of life --

以及材料报废时的回收点——

we should also build accounting and traceability systems

我们还应该建立账户和追溯的系统

so that each carmaker can follow up and trace

以便每个汽车制造商都可以跟进和追溯

how much they can further slash their footprint

通过在电池使用寿命结束时将电池回收

by sending the batteries back at the end of their life.

他们可以进一步削减多少碳足迹。

And why we are doing this --

我们为什么要这样做——

I'm sure you've already figured this out --

我相信大家已经知道了——

it's not only environmentally beneficial,

它不仅对环境有益，

it's also, of course, economically profitable,

它在经济上也是划算的，

because by doing this,

因为通过这样做，

the material sustains its value through the lifetime.

该材料在整个生命 周期内都将保持其价值。

And this altogether may sound a little bit hard,

这些听起来可能有点困难，

it may sound a little bit complex,

可能有点复杂，

but if we get this right,

但如果我们按照正确的方式行动，

it will be rewarding on so many levels.

将在很多层面上获得回报。

And I can tell you that the young generation

我可以告诉你，

of talented engineers that we hire today,

我们雇用的年轻 一代的才华横溢的工程师，

they understand all this,

他们深深地明白这一切，

and they ask nothing less from us.

并对我们的要求不亚于此。

So with that said,

话虽如此，

I just want to say to all of you who listened,

我想对所有在场的人说，

and I also want to say to all the people

也想对所有收拾行囊

who packed their bags and moved up to the Nordics,

搬到北欧，并每天都在

who are fighting every day to make this happen,

为实现这一目标而奋斗的人说，

thank you.

谢谢。

(Cheers and applause)

（欢呼和掌声）