logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2023
9m 57s

The powerful possibilities of recycling ...

TED
About this episode

The world has plenty of clean energy. The problem is storing that energy and getting it where we need it, when we need it, says battery recycling pioneer Emma Nehrenheim. While batteries are fundamental to powering a sustainable future, their production is surprisingly harsh on the environment. She lays out the science behind a breakthrough in recycling a battery's core elements, offering a manufacturing solution that could vastly reduce the industry's environmental impact and demand for new materials from mining.

Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
Fight for justice — even if you don't live to see it | Golriz Lucina (re-release)
Storyteller Golriz Lucina recounts how the historic sacrifice of Iranian 19th-century poet and mystic Táhirih planted the seeds for the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests today, offering an inspiring lesson in the value of acting with conviction — even if we don't live to see the re ... Show More
11m 36s
Yesterday
4 relationship traps that lead to burnout | Eric Quintane
Are your workplace relationships quietly burning you out? Drawing on large-scale research across industries, organizational behavior researcher Eric Quintane reveals four hidden relational traps woven into the fabric of work — and explores how connection shapes resilience, vulner ... Show More
18m 26s
Mar 3
My year living with a robot | Emily Kate Genatowski
Imagine a robot moving into your home. How would it change your daily life? Historian Emily Kate Genatowski shares five eye-opening lessons from a year living with her AI-powered robot roommate, from the quirky and chaotic to the surprisingly mundane. Her experiences show that th ... Show More
15m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
The powerful possibilities of recycling the world's batteries | Emma Nehrenheim
The world has plenty of clean energy. The problem is storing that energy and getting it where we need it, when we need it, says battery recycling pioneer Emma Nehrenheim. While batteries are fundamental to powering a sustainable future, their production is surprisingly harsh on t ... Show More
12m 36s
Apr 2024
The world of battery recycling
The lithium-ion battery business is taking off, and the battery recycling business is close behind. Financiers are pouring over a billion dollars into recycling companies like Redwood Materials, Ascend Elements, and Li-Cycle. But success depends on a steady supply of used batteri ... Show More
36m 45s
Aug 2023
A billion batteries
Fourteen-year-old Sri Nihal Tammana is on a mission to prevent billions of batteries going to landfill. After watching devastating fires cause by discarded lithium-ion batteries, the kind of batteries found in most modern consumer electronics, he decided to set up a not--for-prof ... Show More
23m 48s
Apr 2022
Wealth from waste: can urban mining save the planet?
Ivana Davidovic investigates urban mining - the process of reclaiming raw materials from spent products, buildings and waste. She looks at what new technologies are helping us to recycle waste and the benefits that could bring. In Antwerp, Belgium, she visits Umicore, once a trad ... Show More
17m 29s
Feb 2019
Is Recycling All Our Waste at Home Possible?
Waste, trash, garbage – whatever you call it, unwanted materials have become a major presence in many of our lives and our environment. Every year it is estimated that humans around the world produce 2 billion metric tonnes of waste. Listener Clare from Devon in the UK wants to s ... Show More
30m 38s
May 2023
How can we make lithium-ion batteries more sustainable?
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are set to play a key role in the transition to a decarbonized world. They are one of the principal energy sources for electric vehicles, grid storage and many consumer electronics. As things stand, however, the way that we produce and manage LIBs ove ... Show More
39m 6s
Jul 2022
The Carbon Copy: Get ready for the battery recycling boom
On the Carbon Copy podcast this week: It’s been over three months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves into global oil markets, causing supply constraints and skyrocketing prices. The conflict has complicated the flow of energy at a time when supply chains were alre ... Show More
21m 16s
Oct 2023
The energy transition needs minerals. Is deep sea mining the best way to get them?
<p>The International Energy Agency last month held its first ever&nbsp;<a href="https://www.iea.org/news/iea-critical-minerals-and-clean-energy-summit-delivers-six-key-actions-for-secure-sustainable-and-responsible-supply-chains" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">summit</ ... Show More
53m 14s