EV Battery Materials Circularity: Closing the Loop w/ Advanced Cathode Engineering

Join Ascend Elements CEO Mike O'Kronley for a discussion of EV battery materials circularity and Ascend Elements' patented Hydro-to-Cathode® direct precursor synthesis process.

The terms “circularity” 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 active material (CAM).

OEMs and advanced battery manufacturers are seeking circularity of battery materials – a closed-loop process in which used lithium-ion battery materials are returned to the EV battery supply chain. Battery recycling is undoubtedly part of the solution, but some recycling processes are more “circular” than others. For example, black mass and metal salts – the typical outputs of traditional battery recycling – require extensive processing to become battery-ready cathode active materials.

The quality and consistency of black mass can vary wildly, but cathode active material (CAM) and precursor cathode (pCAM) need to be engineered to precise customer specifications for particle size, shape, crystallinity, and porosity.

This video analyzes the chemical contents of black mass and compares it to customer specifications for CAM. Viewed through the lens of circularity, Mike O'Kronley examines the benefits and limitations of recycling and engineering processes that produce a) black mass, b) metal salts, c) pCAM and d) CAM.