Editing for clarity is encouraged here, generally.
That was not what I was trying to say.
The math is something like:
MTBF cycles * capacity of battery = usable "life" of the battery
usage of lithium by mass in the battery * best recycling technology recovery rate = recoverable lithium per battery
((mass of lithium in battery - recoverable lithium per battery) / usable "life" of the battery) = lithium effectively used up per joule of energy used from that battery
It may be that that number is zero grams, or a few picograms, so it doesn't matter. But I don't think with current recovery rates on battery recycling that's true. So, while a failed battery has the same mass of lithium as a new battery, effectively every charge-discharge cycle "uses up" some lithium, which ultimately ends up wasted as recycling byproducts or unusable salts.
