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Novel Recycling Technology Can Finally Recover Lithium From 'Black Mass' Battery E-Waste

High-purity lithium hydroxide obtained directly from recycled lithium-ion batteries 6 photos
Photo: Image by WangXiNa on Freepik
High-purity lithium hydroxide obtained directly from recycled lithium-ion batteriesHigh-purity lithium hydroxide obtained directly from recycled lithium-ion batteriesHigh-purity lithium hydroxide obtained directly from recycled lithium-ion batteriesHigh-purity lithium hydroxide obtained directly from recycled lithium-ion batteriesHigh-purity lithium hydroxide obtained directly from recycled lithium-ion batteries
The vast majority of analysts agree that the EV revolution has a dark side. It’s related to the fast-increasing demand for lithium, which poses real environmental problems because of the expected intensive mining in the next decades. But now it seems that recycling could really ease the pressure on natural resources.

Most battery experts out there will tell you that battery recycling is still not economically feasible. This is bad news for lithium-ion batteries. In the best-case scenario, recycling processes could recover 95% of the materials. But in real life, that percentage is more around 50% using current technologies, like pyrometallurgy or hydrometallurgy.

There are already companies that are innovating a lot, like the already popular Redwood Materials. The former Tesla founder company recently grabbed a $2 billion (€1.9 billion) loan from the DOE's Loan Program Office for expanding recycling operations.

Nevertheless, we can all agree that lithium-ion battery recycling is still in its infancy. That’s why many believe it won’t keep up with the fast pace growing demand. Well, they didn’t hear about the novel recycling technology ‘Li AquaRefining.’ Which Aqua Metals advertises as a breakthrough.

Don't hold your breath, though, because the Li AquaRefining recycling facility is nothing but a pilot project. Only if it proves workable will the company start later this year the development phase of a 10,000-ton-per-year lithium battery recycling facility.

You should not get too excited about this ‘breakthrough’ headline. To keep investors’ interest high, start-ups and companies developing new technologies make a buzz these days. Also, the details are scarce regarding the process that “produces high-purity lithium hydroxide directly from recycled lithium-ion batteries.

High\-purity lithium hydroxide obtained directly from recycled lithium\-ion batteries
Photo: Aqua Metals
So, what’s new about it? First, you should know that ‘black mass’ is a mess, literally. The e-waste comprised of end-of-life lithium-ion battery cells goes through various processes: crushing, shredding, drying, and sorting.

The mixture goes then on a 700°C pyrolysis process to remove any remaining electrolytes and fluorine, which is potentially health-hazardous. The resulting ‘black mass’ contains valuable metals, such as lithium, manganese, cobalt, and nickel.

The consulting company Circular Energy Storage forecasts around 1.2 million tons of lithium-ion batteries will have reached their end of life by 2030. That’s a huge recycling opportunity. The company estimates a potential recovery of 125,000 tons of lithium, 35,000 tons of cobalt, and 86,000 tons of nickel.

By recycling this massive amount of battery waste, we could save tens of millions of emissions simply by not mining these metals. The problem is that nowadays recycling technologies are both energy intensive and more expensive than mining raw materials.

For instance, recovering lithium from batteries is up to five times more costly than mining it. For the moment, the related pollution cost for mining is not taken fully into account, so EV opponents have a strong case against lithium.

High\-purity lithium hydroxide obtained directly from recycled lithium\-ion batteries
Photo: Freepik
This is where Aqua Metals’ new refining process can make a significant difference. According to the company, the closed-loop recycling system can recover much more efficiently all the critical resources from ‘black mass’, namely copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese.

The ‘aquarefining’ mystery process doesn’t rely at all on polluting furnaces or intensive chemical processes. Instead, it primarily uses electricity for its “patent-pending, regenerative electro-hydrometallurgy process.

Using the novel process, the company has managed to recover high-purity lithium hydroxide (LiOH). Compared to lithium carbonate or other lithium salts, lithium hydroxide is a better choice as a cathode material.

It has superior electrochemical performance, which means more powerful and longer-lasting batteries. It’s also preferred thanks to its ease of use in battery manufacturing. And more importantly, it’s best suited to recover lithium from LFP batteries.

We can only hope that all will go according to plans and that this Li AquaRefining Pilot – the first pilot-scale electro-hydrometallurgy battery recycling facility in North America – will prove successful to be deployed in a large-scale facility in the next couple of years.
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About the author: Oraan Marc
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After graduating college with an automotive degree, Oraan went for a journalism career. 15 years went by and another switch turned him from a petrolhead into an electrohead, so watch his profile for insight into green tech, EVs of all kinds and alternative propulsion systems.
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