![\"Two](\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/07\/Qu.battery.4-300x200-1.jpg\")
Using a well-established ion-exchange process, Qu and his team were the first to recover lithium from the LFP materials by replacing it with potassium. The remaining elements include phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen, which are key ingredients in fertilizer.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, it costs more to recycle the batteries than the value of what we recover,\u201d Qu said. \u201cBut if we can turn those elements into fertilizer, we not only reduce waste but also support agriculture in Wisconsin and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n
The proof of concept has been demonstrated with funding from a 51ÁÔÆæ internal Discovery and Innovation Grant and research partner, the USDA\u2019s Agricultural Research Service.<\/p>\n
Why fertilizer?<\/h2>\n
\u201cThere are only two options to deal with this kind of waste,\u201d said Qu, a global leader in energy storage research. \u201cEither the manufacturers or the government will have to pay to dispose of the waste. That\u2019s what inspired us to look for an economically sustainable way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fertilizers are a high-value product essential for increasing crop yields and maintaining food security.<\/p>\n
Most of the mineral deposits needed to make fertilizers currently are imported, he said. Recycling these batteries would create a ready domestic supply of those ingredients. And the fertilizer could be produced with less energy because the raw materials don\u2019t have to be mined or transported.<\/p>\n
Taking the next step<\/h2>\n
The next steps are to manufacture the fertilizer at a larger scale in order to conduct comparative field tests against conventional fertilizers.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce we obtain support for the recycling-separation portion of the project, we will continue collaborating with the USDA to produce enough material for a one-acre tomato crop trial,\u201d Qu said. \u201cThose results will help us market this idea to major fertilizer companies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wisconsin is well-positioned to lead this innovative, self-sustaining battery recycling effort, leveraging its strong manufacturing and agricultural base. The project promises to create high-tech jobs and provide workforce training in emerging green technologies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Deyang Qu has developed a process that could solve a looming problem: What to do when a huge wave of expiring lithium-ion batteries age out after about 10 years. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40008,"featured_media":147282,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174,175],"tags":[],"section":[141,139],"display_categories":[352,116],"related-coverage":[338],"uwmnews-feed":[],"class_list":["post-146558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-research","section-engineering","section-science-technology","display_categories-top-story-tertiary","display_categories-top-story-section","related-coverage-research"],"yoast_head":"\n