As the ReCell Center moves into its fifth year, the programs' scope covers Direct Recycling, Advanced Resource Recovery, Design for Sustainability and Modeling, and Analysis. The Center continues to scale up its existing technologies and develop new technologies and apply them to the processing of both manufacturing scrap and end-of-life batteries. The presentation will highlight the progress of the Center.

One of the most important topics for battery recycling is to de-risk the scale-up to commercial operations. To correctly scale-up, the industry needs to “act like recyclers” but “think like a chemical plant.” This presentation provides a five-step procedure beginning with questions to ask for a detailed specification, to preliminary design, to final design package for construction. The engineering strategy includes HAZOP risk analysis for safe operation of the plant. The procedure is applicable for the recycling of wet or dry production scrap and End-of-Life (EOL) batteries from the transportation sector, and for small-format batteries from the household consumer sector.   

The proliferation of battery-powered devices and electric transportation has ushered in a new era of convenience and efficiency. As we embrace this dynamic shift, we must also confront the challenges of the interdependency between innovation, safety, and sustainability. This presentation will cover overcoming barriers to maximize end-of-life battery management, underscoring the importance of safety at all stages of the battery lifecycle.

RecycLiCo Battery Materials Inc. is at the forefront of innovation in sustainable recycling of lithium-ion battery waste and upcycling directly into battery grade precursor cathode active material (pCAM) and lithium hydroxide (LiOH) products. This presentation aims to highlight the pivotal role that RecycLiCo Battery Materials Inc. plays in driving sustainable advancements in energy storage. Our journey not only embodies the spirit of innovation but also underscores our commitment to shaping a greener and more sustainable future.

The terms “sustainability” and “closed loop” are often used to describe battery recycling processes like pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy, but these traditional recycling processes are just the first steps in any round-trip journey of battery materials. The typical outputs of battery recycling require extensive processing before they can go into new EV batteries. This presentation puts recycled battery materials under the microscope and explores the steps needed to engineer new, battery-ready cathode and anode active materials.

One current state-of-the-art LIB recycling procedure can start with deactivation and shredding of the spent battery modules. After discharge and dismantling, modules are shredded under inert or wet conditions to avoid thermal runaways and volatile electrolyte residues are removed. The composition of residues and remaining material is important for further processing. Furthermore, under wet conditions, the composition of the water after processing is one crucial aspect.

OnTo will share strategies to improve safety and decrease costs with service at the site. Render-Safe as a mobile, onsite service eliminates flammability hazards when and where they are identified. Cathode-healing is an innovative approach to recover any battery material for reuse, onsite at a factory, or for pretreatment for materials manufacturing. Dr. Sloop will discuss deactivation and cathode-healing of lithium-ion batteries. How does inertization of batteries find a way to improve the value chain? When will industry employ a service? What is the value to the industry? Where will deactivation and direct recycle find their uses in the industry?

In this talk, we will present data showing that the physio-chemical attributes and electrochemical performance of recycled graphite are on-par with pristine commercial graphite anode active materials. We will highlight the environmental, supply chain and economic benefits for recycling graphite from lithium-ion batteries. Finally, we will discuss how recycled graphite can be a viable anode active material for Li-ion batteries.

Given the increase of lithium-ion batteries heading to recycling centers, there are several safety concerns with transporting large quantities of batteries to recycling centers. This talk will highlight the safety concerns, how to safely transport recycled end-of-life batteries to recycling centers, and risk mitigation research and development projects that address these concerns.