2026: Towards Battery Circularity: Blockchain-Enabled Semantic Traceability and Incentive Design for EV Battery Recycling (Environmental Defense Fund)
Millions of electric vehicle batteries will soon reach end of life as early-generation fleets retire, posing resource recovery challenges and toxicological risks. Current recycling systems suffer from fragmented data, opaque provenance, and misaligned incentives. We propose a Blockchain-enabled Lithium-ion Battery Circularity System (LiBchain) integrating a layered access control and a Resource–Event–Agent (REA)-based traceability schema to standardize life cycle data, including chemical safety attributes. A tokenized pricing mechanism will convert verified state-of-health, recoverable mineral content, and toxicity profiles into economic signals to incentivize compliant recycling. The project will ensure that research outcomes inform adoption pathways, support regulatory frameworks, and boost educational resources for a circular battery economy.
Cornell: Charlle Sy (Cornell Duffield Engineering / Systems Engineering), H. Oliver Gao (Cornell Duffield Engineering / Civil and Environmental Engineering)
EDF: Maria Doa (Senior Director, Chemicals Policy); Abhinand Krishnashankar (Manager, Economics and Policy)