The race for global leadership in sustainable energy is also a race for critical minerals \u2013 the essential elements in electric vehicles, renewable power systems and other green technologies. These resources are unevenly distributed across the planet, concentrated in just a handful of countries, and geopolitics often dictates access.<\/p>\n
Canada, however, has an advantage. Many of the materials identified in the federal government\u2019s 2024 critical minerals strategy (part of a larger climate plan) can be mined domestically. Yet mineral extraction is expensive and environmentally disruptive; resources are finite. As global demand soars, the urgency of reclaiming and recycling critical minerals grows. To lead in sustainable energy, Canada must rely as much on its researchers as its miners.<\/p>\n
A recent paper co-authored by Gisele Azimi, a professor of chemical engineering and applied chemistry and a Canada Research Chair in Urban Mining Innovations, predicts that by 2030 an estimated 350 million electric vehicles will produce 10 million tonnes of spent batteries. This represents a massive environmental challenge but also an enormous opportunity \u2013 for reclaiming the critical materials contained inside them.<\/p>\n
When these batteries reach the end of their life, are we simply going to dispose of them, creating massive dumps full of products that are rich in these elements? It doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014Gisele Azimi, U of T chemical engineering and applied chemistry professor<\/p>\n
Azimi studies rare earth elements and other materials vital to rechargeable batteries, including lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese. \u201cWhen these batteries reach the end of their life, are we simply going to dispose of them, creating massive dumps full of products that are rich in these elements? It doesn\u2019t make sense,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Recovering these minerals wouldn\u2019t just cut waste but would also support a resilient, made-in-Canada supply of materials the whole world is competing to secure.<\/p>\n
Sustainable substitutes<\/p>\n
Traditional means of extraction \u2013 in both mining and recycling \u2013 often rely on hydrometallurgy, which uses acid baths to separate and capture materials. While effective, the process generates large volumes of hazardous waste.<\/p>\n
Azimi has developed a promising alternative. By heating and pressurizing carbon dioxide to create \u201csupercritical fluids\u201d \u2013 substances with the properties of both liquids and gases \u2013 her team can extract metals at least as effectively as acid, but with minimal waste.<\/p>\n
The advantages are striking: carbon dioxide is inert, abundant, cheap and easy to recycle. That makes supercritical CO2 not just cleaner but potentially cheaper than conventional recycling methods.<\/p>\n
While Azimi focuses on batteries, Aimy Bazylak works on related technologies such as water electrolyzers (which produce hydrogen fuel), and fuel cells, which create energy by electrochemically combining hydrogen or another hydrogen-rich fuel source with oxygen. Fuel cells can power vehicles or be used in industrial settings, but their components often degrade within as little as five years.<\/p>\n
Bazylak, a professor of mechanical engineering who holds a Canada Research Chair in Clean Energy, aims to make these devices more efficient, durable and cost effective \u2013 in part by recovering critical materials from spent components. Efficient recycling methods not only make fuel cells more sustainable overall, but also provide cost savings for companies trying to commercialize them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to make sure that if companies like Hyundai or Ballard come to us, we\u2019re giving them information that can advance their technologies that will go to market,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s my personal philosophy that as academics we want to serve the public. We can make a cleaner society possible now.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Bazylak\u2019s lab, environmental goals converge with economic ones. \u201cIf I want to replace all the gasoline engines or diesel engines with fuel-cell engines, I have to make them cheaper,\u201d she says. One of the biggest costs comes from the catalyst layer, which requires precious metals. \u201cIn fuel cells, there\u2019s platinum. In water electrolyzers (the things that produce hydrogen), we also use iridium, which is even more valuable than platinum.\u201d <\/p>\n
Bazylak and Azimi both acknowledge that mining cannot be eliminated. But they believe it can be made cleaner. \u201cWhen it comes to sustainability, I think it\u2019s important to understand that, yes, we need to get these materials and that involves mining,\u201d says Bazylak. \u201cIf we can do it more sustainably, then that makes the technology much more responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fuel cells and electrolyzers also have another layer of complexity: they use polymers known as PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances), which are widely used in textiles and food packaging to make them water resistant. Critical mineral recovery often leaves PFAS residues that pollute waterways and even human bloodstreams. Bazylak hopes to either contain this waste more effectively or remove PFAS from the technology altogether.<\/p>\n
Recycling technology that\u2019s also non-polluting \u2013 from creation through disposal \u2013 must be a central part of the strategy. \u201cIt\u2019s not really fair to say, \u2018Hey, these are green technologies,\u2019 if we don\u2019t think of the full life cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n
An opening for Canada<\/p>\n
In 2024, Bazylak was part of a team that was awarded $2-million from the Ontario Research Fund for a multi-university project to find alternative methods for reclaiming both metals and polymers. \u201cOur ultimate goal is to produce devices made from recycled material, and produce materials that are easier to recycle and don\u2019t have PFAS inside. We\u2019re taking a multi-pronged approach to a really sustainable life cycle for these devices,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Bazylak and Azimi see opportunities for their own research, and for Canada to build on its reputation in the field. \u201cWorldwide, Canadians are thought of very much as leaders in clean energy, especially in fuel cells and electrolysis,\u201d Bazylak says. \u201cI feel strongly that in Canada, we need to put more funding into research.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some Canadian companies already use hydrogen in the production of steel and in other industrial applications, but Bazylak says Canada needs to keep improving and adapting the technology and hydrogen infrastructure in order to stay ahead. \u201cWe have to buckle down and keep on working. We have the capacity to develop these technologies. We can produce them, and we can also create jobs and sell this technology worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n
Azimi, meanwhile, is moving to commercialize her supercritical CO2 method, though she acknowledges it takes time for industry to adapt. Pressurized vessels for carbon dioxide are widely used for other industrial purposes (including pharmaceutical production and decaffeinating coffee), but they are new to mining and recycling facilities.<\/p>\n
Other Canadian ventures are further along. Li-Cycle, co-founded by Ajay Kochhar (BASc 2013) already offers recycling services for EV batteries and consumer electronics. In August 2025, the company was acquired by Glencore, a mining and energy giant with a strong emphasis on recycling.<\/p>\n
Moment to lead<\/p>\n
The stakes are high. Companies and countries that lead in building a circular economy \u2013 where materials are continually reclaimed and reused \u2013 will benefit economically, environmentally and strategically.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe opportunities are quite large for Canada,\u201d Azimi says. \u201cElectric vehicles are still a new technology. The lithium-ion battery in an electric car has about five to 10 years of life. As the number of EVs increases tremendously, this waste will increase. What should we do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n
For Azimi, the answer is clear: invest now or risk falling behind. \u201cCanada has a real chance to lead. But if we don\u2019t move, those opportunities will pass us by,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Bazylak echoes the concern. \u201cThis could be a tremendous success story for Canada. But without investing in homegrown technologies, people will simply buy from elsewhere,\u201d she says. \u201cWe need stronger support for research \u2013 because the capacity to lead is already here.\u201d<\/p>\n