Because lithium-ion batteries are used to power so many of the electronic devices we find indispensable these days, including computers, mobile phones, and cars, and because the materials used to make them can be both both scarce and difficult to obtain; the federal government is keen on finding safe and inexpensive ways to recycle them.

So, that's why the National Science Foundation (NSF) just gave the University of Akron a $250,000 dollar research grant.

As you'll hear during my conversation with U-A Professor and Chemistry Department Chair, Dr. Christopher Ziegler; they're trying to develop a way to extract lithium and other precious materials from old batteries in an efficient and environmentally safe way, so that they can be used to manufacture new products.

Find out more, listen now.

Dr. Christopher J. Ziegler, University of Akron