1 3 A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | M A Y / J U N E 2 0 2 2 EMERGING TECHNOLOGY OPTIMIZED BATTERY RECYCLING In a big step toward the electromobility society of the future, researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, developed an optimized recycling process for electric vehicle (EV) batteries to make the recycling of electric car batteries easier, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly. As the use of EVs increases, recycling and recovery processes for their batteries and the critical raw metals used in production are becoming an increasingly important area of research. One method that currently attracts a lot of interest is a combination of thermal pretreatment and hydrometallurgy, in which aqueous chemistry is used to recover the metals. Several companies are developing systems that will use this combination, but the research team discovered that these companies use widely differing temperatures and times in their processes, and that there was a great need for a comparative study to determine the optimal thermal treatment and hydrometallurgical process for recycling lithium-ion batteries. A key finding of the research was that the hydrometallurgical process can be carried out at room temperature. This is something that has not been previously tested but could yield major benefits in the form of reduced environmental impacts and battery recycling costs. The process can also be carried out significantly quicker than previously thought. “Our research can make a huge difference for developers in this area. In some cases, it can be as much as reducing the temperature from between 60 and 80°C down to room temperature, and from several hours to just 30 minutes,” according to the team. The researchers also investigated how the different steps—thermal pretreatment and hydrometallurgy—are affected by each other. An important comparison was made between two different approaches to thermal pretreatment, incineration and pyrolysis. The latter is without oxygen and is considered more environmentally friendly, and the researchers determined that this produced the best results. www. chalmers.se/en. ENER Y TRE DS Syrah Resources, Australia, is investing $176 million to expand its Syrah Technologies graphite processing facility located in Vidalia, La. The project adds 180,000 sq. ft. to the existing 50,000-sq.-ft. building, to support processing of natural graphite into active anode material (AAM) used in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). The expansion follows an agreement with Tesla to supply natural graphite AAM for EV battery use. syrahresources.com. BRIEF Electric car lithium battery pack and power connections. Through DOE funding, more ways to recycle lithium-ion battery packs are on the horizon. LITHIUM-BATTERY INITIATIVE A national workforce development strategy for lithium-battery manufacturing was announced by the DOE and will be launched in coordination with the U.S. Department of Labor and the AFL-CIO. As part of a $5 million investment, DOE will support up to five pilot training programs in energy and automotive communities and advance workforce partnerships between industry and labor for the domestic lithium battery supply chain. The announcement follows DOE’s recent release of two notices of intent authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide $3 billion to support projects that bolster domestic battery manufacturing and recycling. The funding, rolling out in the coming months, will support battery-materials refining, which will bolster domestic refining capacity of minerals such as lithium, as well as production plants, battery cell and pack manufacturing facilities, and recycling facilities. energy.gov.
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