Becoming Aware of Endangered and Critical Elements: Spent Batteries as Metal Mines

The importance of spent battery collection and related treatments in terms of circular economy is the starting point for a laboratory education path focusing on alkaline batteries. While using a project-based learning approach, students at a high school or university are made more aware of critical raw materials, learn about the chemistry of batteries, and investigate the composition of the black mass from spent alkaline batteries. They also investigate the methods used to extract and analyze critical raw materials such as zinc and manganese.