ACE Green Recycling (ACE) (earlier post) has successfully delivered the first of three phases of its proprietary zero-emissions modular lead battery recycling technology to ACME Metal Enterprise’s facility in Keelung City, Taiwan. As part of the agreement, ACE will provide equipment and proprietary chemicals to enable ACME to produce “GreenLead”... Read more →

RecycLiCo Battery Materials announced that the company’s recycled lithium carbonate, from lithium-ion battery waste, has passed a comprehensive suite of tests conducted by a battery materials company in Asia. RecycLiCo’s lithium carbonate, contained in a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery, was subjected to several industry-standard tests, including LFP fabrication and... Read more →

BASF, a global battery materials producer and battery recycler, and Stena Recycling, one of Europe´s leading recycling companies, offering comprehensive solutions in recycling and circular services, have entered into a black mass purchase agreement. This agreement is part of a broader collaboration envisaged by BASF and Stena Recycling with the... Read more →

A team from Sogang University and DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology) in S. Korea have developed a catalytic strategy designed to overcome the energy and environmental challenges associated with metallurgical processes for recycling spent Li-ion batteries. A paper on the work is published in the Journal of... Read more →

Steel wire company Bekaert has delivered the first batches of third-party certified recycled steel to Bridgestone Corporation. Bekaert said that the successful pilot is the first step toward setting a new industry standard for recycled content in tire reinforcement, and to making certified tire reinforcement with high recycled content available... Read more →

Researchers at the University of Bath and University of Surrey have developed a way of introducing degradable bonds into thermoset polymers to make them more easily recyclable. An open-access paper on their work is published in the RSC journal Polymer Chemistry. The team made a series of polymer gels with... Read more →

Researchers at the Technische Universität Braunschweig and colleagues have developed a solvent-based direct recycling route for anode and cathode coating materials that allows direct reuse of the recovered coating materials. A high yield of recovery is achieved by mechanical stress in a suitable solvent (96 % for anodes, 85 %... Read more →

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced $37 million in funding (DE-FOA-0003120) to reduce costs associated with recycling electric vehicle (EV) batteries. This funding opportunity is the second phase of $200 million in total provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for electric drive vehicle battery recycling and second life applications. Through... Read more →

Lifezone Metals signed a term sheet with a subsidiary of Glencore plc for the two-phased implementation of a recycling joint venture to recover platinum, palladium and rhodium (collectively platinum group metals or PGMs) from spent automotive catalytic converters. The joint venture will be domiciled in the US. The goal of... Read more →

Researchers in China are proposing a paired electrolysis process for the more efficient recovery of spent lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) and lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) electrode materials. Their work is presented in an open-access paper in the RSC journal Green Chemistry. There are three typical methods for recovery of spent... Read more →

Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and industry partners have launched a collaboration to develop a more efficient direct recycling process for spent batteries, by means of which the active components are recovered while maintaining their functionality. The project is funded by the German Federal Research Ministry with approximately... Read more →

RecycLiCo Battery Materials recently received investment approval from the Taiwan Department of Investment Review for its 50/50 joint venture with Zenith Chemical Corporation. The joint venture company, named Recyclico Zenith Battery Materials Technology Co., solidifies a significant partnership in the company’s expansion within the Asian market. RecycLiCo has committed to... Read more →

The Belgian Provincial Institute of Hygiene (PIH) announced the results of six-monthly blood lead measurements among children living near the Umicore metals recycling site in Hoboken, Belgium. Until earlier this year, the blood tests were carried out on children living in the adjacent neighborhoods of Moretusburg and Hertogvelden. Now for... Read more →

Toyota Motor North America (Toyota) is expanding its battery recycling network with a new collaboration with Cirba Solutions, a battery recycling materials and management company. The agreement enhances Toyota and Cirba Solutions’ growing relationship by expanding Toyota’s battery recycling network and optimizing its logistics network for end-of-life electrified vehicle battery... Read more →

Rio Tinto and Giampaolo Group have completed a transaction to form the Matalco joint venture (earlier post), combining the strengths of North America’s largest primary and secondary aluminum producers to meet the growing demand from manufacturers for low carbon materials. Following the receipt of all regulatory approvals, Rio Tinto has... Read more →

Altilium, a UK-based clean technology group, has secured more than £700,000 (US$889,000) in UK government innovation funding for two collaborative research projects focused on the recovery of copper and Rare Earth Elements (REE) from mine waste. Building on its work to recover lithium and other critical battery materials from end-of-life... Read more →

Hydro, the Norwegian aluminum and renewable energy company, and a world leader in the production of recycled and low-carbon aluminum, recently celebrated the official opening of its recycling plant in Cassopolis, Michigan, just 18 months after breaking ground at the site.. Hydro expects to produce 265 million pounds (120,000 metric... Read more →

Munich-based climate tech startup tozero and Huayou Recycling are partnering for the recycling of battery waste in Europe. The partnership is intended to have a significant impact on the region’s battery industry, addressing the challenges posed by the growing electrification of the European eMobility landscape and the accompanying surge in... Read more →

Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) and Redwood Materials announced an expanded recycling agreement that aims to create pathways for automotive batteries used in Toyota’s electrified vehicles that have reached the end of their life. The plan also includes an agreement for Toyota to source Cathode Active Material (CAM) and Anode... Read more →

Canada-based Li-Metal Corp., a developer of lithium metal anode and lithium metal production technologies, announced the successful production and shipment of its first batch of lithium metal ingots. The lithium metal ingots were produced at Li-Metal’s recently commissioned lithium metal reprocessing and casting facility in Markham, Ontario, which has the... Read more →

Following a joint call to action around recovered carbon black (rCB) at the 2021 Smithers rCB conference, Bridgestone Corporation and Michelin Group have published a joint technical white paper to share the results of their work with stakeholders in the rCB community to develop a proposed global standard to increase... Read more →

Stellantis N.V. and Orano, a multinational nuclear fuel cycle company, signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint venture for recycling end-of-life electric vehicle batteries and scrap from gigafactories in Enlarged Europe and North America, strengthening Stellantis’ position in the electric-vehicle battery value chain by securing additional access to... Read more →

ACE Green Recycling (ACE) and the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to develop further and to optimize ACE’s environment friendly and low-cost lithium-ion battery recycling technology for recycling of graphite, lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) and other cathode active materials.... Read more →

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, are presenting a new and efficient way to recycle metals from spent electric car batteries. The method, which uses the organic acid oxalic acid, allows recovery of 100% of the aluminum and 98% of the lithium in electric car batteries. At the same... Read more →

Altilium, a UK-based clean technology group, is partnering with Lunaz, Europe’s largest upcycling and vehicle electrification business, to develop a low-carbon logistical solution for the safe transportation and discharging of end-of-life EV batteries. The project, which has received funding from the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF), is the latest addition to... Read more →

Li-ion battery recycler Aqua Metals and battery materials company 6K Energy plan to create a sustainable circular supply chain in the United States for the critical minerals essential to domestic lithium battery manufacturing. Aqua Metals and 6K Energy have signed a multi-part memorandum of understanding (MOU) covering the scope of... Read more →

US-based Ascend Elements is partnering with South Korea-based SK ecoplant and its e-waste recycling subsidiary, TES, to build a $65-million lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Hopkinsville, Ky. The 100,000-square-foot EV battery recycling facility will disassemble and shred approximately 24,000 metric tons of used EV batteries and gigafactory scrap per year—or... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award a combined total of $2 million to eight projects to drive innovation in lithium-ion battery (LIB) rejuvenation, recycling, and reuse administered through the ReCell Center. The ReCell Centerwas established by DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office and is located at Argonne National Laboratory. These... Read more →

Li-ion battery recycling company Blue Whale Materials (BWM) will site its inaugural li-ion battery processing facility in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Blue Whale’s commercial facility will be situated within a 35-acre campus including 150,000 square feet of warehouse space at the Bartlesville Industrial Park and encompasses multiple lots designed to facilitate battery... Read more →

Last year, Redwood Materials, the battery materials recycling, refining and remanufacturing company founded by former Tesla exec JB Straubel, announced expansion plans in Europe to support creating a closed-loop battery supply chain. Europe continues to be the fastest growing EV market globally, driven by automakers’ commitments and strong government support... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) has selected eight projects, which have been awarded a combined total of $2 million, to drive innovation in lithium-ion battery (LIB) rejuvenation, recycling, and reuse administered through the ReCell Center located at Argonne National Laboratory. Through this investment,... Read more →

Dragonfly Energy, in collaboration with Aqua Metals, has successfully used high-purity lithium hydroxide recovered by Aqua Metals from recycled lithium-ion batteries to manufacture a lithium-based battery cell using Dragonfly Energy’s patented dry battery electrode coating technology. The successful recovery of battery-grade lithium hydroxide and cycle testing of a sustainably manufactured... Read more →

Li-Cycle Holdings and Glencore International, a leading producer, recycler, and marketer of nickel and cobalt which is required for the production of lithium-ion batteries, are now planning a two-phase approach to the Portovesme Hub project in Sardinia, Italy (earlier post) to expedite the production of battery-grade lithium carbonate. Phase 1... Read more →

Ionic Technologies, Less Common Metals (LCM) and Ford will establish a demonstration circular supply chain for Rare Earth Elements (REEs) in the UK, by utilizing innovative technologies to create high-specification magnets containing 100% recycled REEs for use in Electrical Vehicles (EVs). Ionic Technologies has demonstrated patented technology at the demonstration... Read more →

Continental recently added recovered carbon black (rCB) to its newly produced Super Elastic solid tires at its tire plant in Korbach, Germany, thus reducing the use of fossil raw materials and CO2 emissions. Solid tires such as Continental’s SC20+ already contain around 60% renewable and recycled materials due to their... Read more →

BASF and Nanotech Energy, a developer and manufacturer of graphene-based energy storage products, have agreed to partner to reduce the CO2 footprint of Nanotech’s lithium-ion batteries for the North American market. The agreement aims to close the loop for lithium-ion batteries in North America, with BASF producing cathode active materials... Read more →

Researchers from UNSW Sydney (Australia) report in an open-access paper in the Journal of Power Sources on the use of hard carbons derived from automotive shredder residue (ASR) as a suitable anode electroactive material for sodium-ion batteries (NIBs). Limitation of graphite as anode material in NIB has paved the way... Read more →

Recycling lithium-ion batteries is difficult. The recovery of lithium of a quality high enough to be used again is complicated and expensive. Most recycling processes are targeted at extracting the lithium from cathodes (where most of the lithium in discharged batteries is located). However, it then precipitates out together with... Read more →

Redwood Materials, the battery materials recycling, refining and remanufacturing company founded by former Tesla exec JB Straubel, has raised more than $1 billion in Series D shares. The round which was co-led by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Capricorn’s Technology Impact Fund, and funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) issued a notice of intent to release a funding opportunity that would provide up to $37 million from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding to advance electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling, transportation, and design (DE-FOA-0003120). As of July 2023, more than 3.9 million plug-in electric... Read more →

Shortly before the updated EU Battery Regulation comes into force, the chair “Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components” (PEM) of RWTH Aachen University has published a study on the European battery recycling market. Due to high investment costs, the current structure of the value chain will move toward large recycling centers,... Read more →

The REMADE Institute, a 170-member public-private partnership established and funded in part by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) (earlier post), announced a new technology license involving technology developed with REMADE support. The license involves a technology innovation capable of removing metallic impurities—e.g., iron, copper, silicon, manganese, and zinc—from... Read more →

Prices for black mass material—from process scrap fell by 5% in July from a month earlier, according to Benchmark’s inaugural black mass price assessment, due to a decline in the underlying prices for lithium. Black mass production is the first step in the battery recycling process and is based on... Read more →

In November 2022, LanzaTech and Sumitomo Riko Company entered into a joint-development agreement to reuse rubber, resin and urethane waste for the production of a key chemical intermediate, isoprene. (Earlier post.) Sumitomo Rubber along with Sumitomo Electric will be taking part in this joint development. The three companies will join... Read more →

A research team in China has developed an innovative self-powered system comprising an electrochemical Li-ion battery (LIB) recycling reactor and a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) for recycling spent LFP batteries. A paper on their work appears in the RSC journal Energy & Environmental Science. In the electrochemical LIB recycling reactor, the... Read more →

RecycLiCo Battery Materials and Nanoramic Laboratories announced a strategic collaboration with the goal of optimizing the complete life cycle of lithium-ion batteries. Nanoramic will contribute its discarded Neocarbonix lithium-ion battery cathode electrodes, notable for their high-performance, low-cost nanocarbon mesh binding structure, for testing with RecycLiCo’s proprietary lithium-ion battery recycling process,... Read more →

Li-Cycle Holdings announced the start of commercial operations at its first Spoke recycling facility in Europe, located in Magdeburg, Germany. The Germany Spoke’s first main processing line has now commenced operations, with the second main line expected to start later in 2023. Each main line has the capacity to process... Read more →

SABIC recently announced its new PCR-based NORYL resin technology, formulated using 25% or more post-consumer recycled (PCR) content and aimed at providing additional, sustainable material options for customers. The technology was validated through the commercialization of several grades, including NORYL NH5120RC3 resin containing 30% PCR content, which helps to lower... Read more →

Li-ion battery recycling technology company Aqua Metals (earlier post) entered into a strategic partnership with Yulho Co., Ltd., a storage solution and battery materials company based in South Korea. Initiating the partnership, Yulho will make a strategic equity investment of $5 million in Aqua Metals, underscoring Yulho’s confidence in Aqua... Read more →

Rio Tinto and Giampaolo Group, one of North America’s largest fully-integrated metal management businesses, have entered into an agreement to form a joint venture to manufacture and market recycled aluminum products. The transaction reflects the joint venture partners’ shared commitment to meeting the increasing demand for low-carbon aluminum as a... Read more →