The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
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New process skips toxic solvents in rare earth recovery and exposes new magnet chemistries. In a leap toward a more circular economy, researchers at IOCB Prague have unveiled a novel method of recycling rare earths that uses only water and a specially designed molecule to separate metals from used magnets. This approach bypasses the complexities, hazardous acids, organic solvents, and high-temperature treatments typically used in conventional separation and recovery. It... Full story
Lithium phosphate, iron-sodium, and organic flow batteries are headed to critical infrastructure sites. When the grid goes down, so can the interconnected systems of water treatment plants, health centers, emergency services. To bridge those critical gaps, the U.S. Department of Energy is investing in a trio of next-generation energy storage technologies that could help safeguard vital infrastructure. To keep critical infrastructure running through the next blackout, the U.S....
Reducing, reusing, recycling EV batteries saves money, minerals, and the planet. Known for its growing role in battery recycling, Redwood Materials Inc. is expanding its focus with the launch of Redwood Energy, a venture that aims to repurpose electric vehicle batteries that have reached the end of their life on the road into stationary energy storage systems for AI data centers. This move marks a strategic evolution for founder JB Straubel, who sees energy storage as not...
ASU professor, undergrads build and deconstruct batteries to improve graphite recycling. Under pressure to scale green energy storage faster than materials can be mined, researchers are shifting their focus to the most overlooked battery component: graphite. Making up more than half the mass of a battery, graphite is routinely damaged during recycling due to processes never designed to preserve it – a problem one professor and her team at Arizona State University are w...
Startup to deploy micro-factories to process battery waste across Asia. As lithium demand surges in the race to electrify the global economy, a Hong Kong startup is betting that artificial intelligence – and mobility – could be the key to revolutionizing battery recycling, easing environmental strain, and satisfying China's appetite for battery recycling feedstock. Despite surging global demand that could reach 450,000 metric tons annually by 2030, less than 5% of lit...
Electra and Three Fires joint venture integrates battery scrap into a community-conscious supply chain. North America is racing to secure critical mineral supplies at home and through trusted international partnerships. Now, a new Indigenous-led battery recycling venture in Canada is betting that the key to resilience lies not in the ground, but in the scrap. Despite efforts to expand domestic mining and refining in North America, a significant portion of the value chain, espe...
Lithium-ion battery recycling visionary Li-Cycle is on the cusp of bankruptcy. Less than two years after hosting Canada's prime minister, the European Union's president, and an array of United States dignitaries eager to visit facilities that represent the future of electric vehicle battery recycling, Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. is struggling to keep its global spoke-and-hub network intact. While Li-Cycle has weathered financial strains before, its current position is more...
Canadian battery recycler announces president and veteran strategist. Marking a milestone for Indigenous leadership in cleantech, Aki Battery Recycling – Canada's first Indigenous-led lithium-ion battery recycling company – has formalized its governance structure, appointing Reggie George as President and Andre Marais as Director of Strategy and Corporate Development, while advancing due diligence and shortlisting technology partners for its planned operations. "The Aki ven... Full story
A simple nanoemulsion of oil and water is all it takes to eliminate the most wasteful step in battery recycling. Scientists at the University of Leicester have developed a technique for recovering valuable metals from lithium-ion battery waste using an unexpected ingredient – vegetable oil. This simple process, which extracts valuable metals from battery waste in minutes at room temperature, could revolutionize battery recycling, making it far more sustainable, c...
Secures over a million in seed funding for innovative recovery process. As an environmental and chemical engineer, Leigh Staines has held a range of strategic, operational, and commercial roles with industry-leading companies such as ExxonMobil and Rio Tinto. Now, Staines is helming a bold new venture that could revolutionize copper production, spearheading the commercialization of an electrochemical process that can recover copper from low-grade resources once deemed...
Recovers critical minerals from BESS to strengthen US supply chains. As battery energy storage systems (BESS) expand to support rising electricity demand, including the growing power needs of artificial intelligence, Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. is ramping up its efforts to recycle these massive power sources to strengthen a sustainable and domestic supply chain. In 2024, the U.S. energy storage market deployed approximately 34.4 gigawatt-hours across all segments. With...
Partnership with premium automotive OEM to supply Magdeburg Spoke. Further expanding its role in Europe's battery recycling sector, Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. has secured an exclusive partnership with a premium automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to supply lithium-ion battery feedstock to its recycling facility in Magdeburg, Germany, strengthening the company's commercial reach and reinforcing its position in establishing a sustainable and localized battery supply...
Expands into Chinese-banned resource for national security, defense. With growing concerns over the stability of critical mineral supply chains, American Resources Corp. has expanded its South African partnership to refine high-purity antimony for commercial and defense applications, leveraging its refining expertise initially developed for rare earth elements. Striking a deal in June 2023 to purchase and refine lithium spodumene from a South African supplier, American...
Funding to support restart of demo facility, commercial plant for REEs. In a move that emphasizes the strategic importance of rare earth elements to national security, the U.S. Department of Defense has awarded Rare Resource Recycling Inc. (REEcyle) $5.2 million to restart a demonstration facility and advance a commercial plant capable of recovering 50 tons of rare earth oxides annually from recycled electronic waste. Critical to the functionality of missiles, submarines, and...
American Battery Technology Company is working with industry partners to develop EV and battery workforce. Public and private industry partners from every sector of the electric vehicle supply chain have been selected to establish a real-world training environment to foster the next generation of battery and EV personnel in a new U.S. energy manufacturing workforce. At the top of their industry representing battery recycling is American Battery Technology Company (ABTC),... Full story
New partnership to advance copper recycling for energy transition needs. As the need for reliable sources of critical materials continues to grow, Cyclic Materials Inc. has secured a multi-year agreement with global mining leader Glencore to supply recycled copper, bolstering efforts to strengthen circularity and support the growing demand for sustainable, domestically sourced materials essential to the energy transition. Rapidly positioning itself as a leader in advanced... Full story
Commercial partnership to close the loop on a circular North American rare earth magnet supply chain. ReElement Technologies Corp., a leading rare earth and critical battery element recycler, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with POSCO International, a global leader in steel production and advanced materials. This powerhouse team-up promises to supercharge the North American landscape of clean energy infrastructure, national security, and commercial...
Princeton working to scale process of efficiently recycling EV batteries through a spin-off company. As electric vehicle industry players focus on integrating and scaling efficient recycling into the battery supply chain, circular solutions are coming to play a vital role in monetizing waste streams. The National Academy of Science and Engineering estimates that the number of used EV batteries available will increase to 150 million in the year 2035. In 2020 alone, around...
Studies show the advancement of generative AI will put a strain on the waste stream. Researchers from Cambridge University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have published a paper in the journal Nature warning that the rapidly evolving technology of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) can lead to compounded amounts of e-waste equivalent to more than 10 billion iPhones per year by 2030. In 2022, 62 million metric tons of e-waste were produced worldwide, according to the...
DOE backs company for more domestic battery supply, enhancing U.S. electrification and critical material supply chain resilience. Further solidifying its role in North America's circular battery metals supply chain as the world shifts to electrification, American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) has been awarded a $150 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to construct a second commercial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling facility. In the fall of 2023,...
A new factory has been constructed to extract gold from circuit boards found in everyday e-waste. The Royal Mint has committed to recovering high-purity gold from e-waste, unveiling a newly constructed 3,700 square-meter factory in South Wales pledged to reduce dependence on new material mining and support more sustainable industry practices. "We are transforming our business for the future – expanding into areas which complement our expertise in precious metals, champion s...
Travertine Technologies partners with Sabin Metal to build a circular plant in New York that converts waste into valuable feedstock. In a project that will scale industrialized carbon capture technology to convert sulfate waste into valuable feedstock, Travertine Technologies has announced a partnership with Sabin Metal Corp., the largest independently owned precious metals refiner in North America, to build a demonstration plant with $10.7 million in financing that includes $...
From natural disaster recovery to sustainable solutions, Redwood leads the charge in active battery recycling. As natural disasters and major accidents become more frequent, Redwood Materials Inc. steps in to ensure that lithium-ion batteries, often damaged in these events, are safely recovered and recycled, preventing further harm to affected communities and the environment. In just a few short years, Redwood has grown from a small recycling startup into a critical player in... Full story
First domestic source of cobalt and nickel to be produced in new Ohio facility. This week, Nth Cycle became the first company in the United States to produce recycled nickel and cobalt. Using its patented Oyster system to produce these battery metals at its 21,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Ohio, this system is able to upgrade black mass and nickel scrap into mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), a key intermediate product that can be refined into nickel and cobalt...
Bacteria can extract lithium, cobalt, manganese, and other minerals from batteries and e-waste. Some bacteria have been proven to synthesize metal nanoparticles from their surroundings, apparently as a detox method to protect themselves from poisoning – and a team at the University of Edinburgh aims to use them to extract lithium, cobalt, manganese, and other minerals from old batteries and e-waste. Named The Horsfall Group, the researchers have proposed a method using s...
