The Elements of Innovation Discovered
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IDTechEx report examines potential of critical materials recovery from EVs to drive a circular economy by 2045. As the automotive industry shifts toward electrification, recycling end-of-life vehicles is becoming an increasingly important source of critical materials, potentially surpassing traditional mining. According to a recent report by IDTechEx, the recovery of valuable metals from electric vehicle batteries and motors is expected to generate over $100 billion annually...
Rare earth elements (REEs) are essential building blocks for the world's electronics and a host of developing energy transition technologies. Found in smartphones, computers, screens, and batteries, they are essential in everything from smartwatches to wind turbines. This suite of 15 elements, however, are notoriously challenging to separate. Conventional processes are often chemical-heavy and energy-intensive, requiring multiple extraction and purification steps, which are sl...
Microsoft's Climate Innovation Fund invests in recycling REEs from hard drives. Signaling its commitment to a circular economy, Microsoft has made a notable endorsement by strategically investing in Cyclic Materials, a promising startup in advanced metals recycling. Announced July 16, this move by Microsoft's Climate Innovation Fund highlights the tech giant's interest in sustainable innovation, particularly in recycling rare earth elements (REEs) from computer hard drives....
Partnership with Pyxera successfully tested a "circular logistics" model to upcycle critical minerals from electronic waste. Following a successful pilot program at the end of last year in Tennessee, FedEx, Pyxera Global, and several other companies have launched the Circular Supply Chain Coalition (CSCC) to boost the domestic supply of critical minerals for new tech hardware in the United States by "mining" discarded consumer electronics. CSCC's vision is to strengthen and ex...
Company ramps up recycling facility, operates at over 115% capacity. In a triumph of innovation, American Battery Technology Company announced a groundbreaking milestone: its lithium-ion battery recycling facility has been operating steadily at over 115% of its designed capacity, showcasing the efficacy of its proprietary recycling technology. Established in 2011, ABTC began its journey with a handful of mining claims out of Nevada. Stemming from a former Tesla employee's ambi...
Lithium battery recycling firm details finances, operations, investments, and additional plans to overcome challenging financial landscape. Following the $75 million strategic investment from Glencore plc last week, which was aimed to alleviate some of the pressures the company is feeling due to the higher-cost environment, Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. announced an update on its situation and plans to right-size its recycling enterprise going forward. "Since embarking on our...
Supports future recycling leader toward ongoing facility construction. Almost two years after its initial $200 million investment from Glencore plc, Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. has announced a new $75 million strategic investment from the Swiss commodities trading and mining company to help the recycling company continue to position itself as a future leader in the production of critical battery materials. "We are pleased to secure an additional $75 million investment from...
Inching closer to a fully operational battery recycling and refining facility, Electra Battery Materials Corp. has utilized the last year to meticulously streamline, optimize, and improve its battery recycling trial, as well as the recovery systems for lithium, nickel, cobalt, and other critical minerals at its Ontario complex in Canada. "Throughout this 12-month demonstration operation, our team has continued to refine and optimize the processes resulting in successive...
Setting the bar for battery materials, American Resources Corp.'s ReElement Technologies announced that it has achieved an ultra-high purity of 99.96% battery-grade lithium carbonate from its unique technology developed in partnership with Purdue University. American Resources is a next-generation and socially responsible supplier of raw materials to the new infrastructure and electrification marketplace. Utilizing its patented multi-modal chromatography technology, developed...
A new study out of Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, presents a possible new and efficient way to recycle metals from spent electric vehicle batteries that uses an organic compound found naturally in plants – oxalate. Before the push for clean energy or renewable technologies, methods to recycle metal operated much like manufacturing metal, melting it. However, due to the carbon-intensive impacts of smelters or foundries, cleaner solutions to recycling have e...
Commences domestic supply of critical battery materials at new Nevada facility in less than a year. Working tirelessly and expeditiously toward commercialization, American Battery Technology Company excitedly announced the operational start-up of its commercial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Nevada, implementing its first-of-a-kind lithium-ion battery recycling technologies at industrial scale. "We are excited to have achieved this major milestone and to now...
The growing list of critical minerals and conflict elements like cobalt are drawing intense focus and demand for alternative sources. Investors and consumers are increasingly focused on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) credentials, provenance, and indirect emissions of these supply chains. If done right, prioritizing urban mining – specifically moving recycled materials upstream in supply chains – could provide cheaper domestic supply with a lower emissions foo...
Based on the success of its battery recycling trial, which showed improved recoveries of critical battery elements, higher metal content, and reduced use of reagents, thus paving the way for a higher-quality final product for its customers, Electra Battery Materials Corp. is extending processing of black mass at its refinery complex in Ontario, Canada. "Results from our plant-scale black mass trial continue to exceed our expectations," said Electra Battery Materials CEO Trent...
Following up on plans to spread its roots into the world's fastest-growing electric vehicle market, Redwood Materials Inc. has acquired the leading European Union battery recycler, Redux Recycling GmbH. Located in Bremerhaven, on Germany's North Sea coast, Redux Recycling's facility is equipped to recycle up to 10,000 metric tons of lithium-ion batteries with a variety of chemistries. Centrally located within Europe and near the distribution center of the Bremerhaven Port,...
After announcing its plans for a recycling hub in Portovesme, Italy, through a partnership with Glencore, Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. has followed up with the steps needed to begin establishing a centralized locale for battery recycling in Europe's Bel Paese. "The planned Portovesme Hub is a landmark project for Europe's battery recycling industry and is expected to be the largest source of recycled battery-grade lithium on the continent," said Li-Cycle Executive Chair Tim...
From a small sprout to a mighty tree, Redwood Materials Inc. may share its roots with the Tree of Tesla but has grown into a pillar of stability in the realm of recycling amidst a time when electric vehicle battery materials are becoming increasingly difficult to source. This battery and e-waste startup's vision of creating a domestic supply through recycling has drawn nearly $2 billion in new investment to expand its operations in the U.S., spreading its own "Sequoian" roots...
Shining a spotlight on a provider of the metals needed for the lithium batteries powering America's clean energy technologies, American Battery Technology Company announced a visit from representatives from the White House. "We are proud to be part of the Nevada community that is at the forefront of working to build the domestic lithium-ion battery supply chain," said American Battery Technology Company CEO Ryan Melsert. Visiting ABTC's facility in Northern Nevada, National...
Li-Cycle Holdings Corp., a rising star of lithium-ion battery recycling in the United States, has signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate and explore battery recycling solutions for EVE Energy Co., Ltd., a China-based global lithium battery company. "We are excited to collaborate with EVE, a proven global leader in lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing, to provide a sustainable resource recovery solution for lithium-ion battery products and manufacturing scrap,"...
Marking a historical moment for its endeavors to support the green energy transition, Electra Battery Materials Corp. announced its first shipment of recycled nickel-cobalt from its refinery complex north of Toronto, Canada. "The first customer delivery of product from our refinery marks another important milestone on the path to commercializing our black mass refining capabilities," said Electra Battery Materials CEO Trent Mell. Black mass, a material produced from shredding...
Accompanying the plethora of VIPs to its battery recycling facilities in recent months, Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. was visited by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs for a tour of its plant in Gilbert, Arizona. Her visit to this lithium-ion battery recycling plant in the Grand Canyon State follows similar tours by U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly of this Li-Cycle spoke facility expected to play a key role in building a clean energy future in North...
After signing a memorandum of understanding with First Nation-owned and operated Three Fires Group to form a joint centered focused on recycling lithium-ion battery waste, Electra Battery Materials Corp. announced a C$10 million (US$7.6 million) strategic investment by the First Nations group focused on generating prosperity for current and future generations. "Since announcing plans to form a battery recycling joint venture, we have had active discussions with Three Fires on...
Leading through example, Electra Battery Materials Corp. has signed a memorandum of understanding with First Nation-owned and operated Three Fires Group to form a joint venture focused on the recycling of lithium-ion battery waste, underpinned by Electra's proprietary black mass processing expertise. "We are excited by the opportunity to work with the Three Fires Group and solve a pressing challenge of the EV battery supply chain, namely how to recycle and repurpose battery...
Joining hands toward the stable supply of critical battery materials, RecycLiCo Battery Materials Inc. announced it has entered into a 50-50 joint venture with Zenith Chemical Corp. to build a 2,000 metric ton per year lithium-ion battery recycling plant in Taiwan. Since 2016, RecycLiCo has facilitated up to 100% extraction of valuable battery materials from nickel-manganese-cobalt and now lithium-iron-phosphate cathode chemistries. As all these battery chemistries contain...
Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. announced the signing of a letter of intent with Glencore plc, one of the world's largest natural resource companies, to jointly study the feasibility and eventual development of one of Li-Cycle's Hub recycling facilities in Portovesme, Italy. "The planned Portovesme Hub is a landmark project for Europe's battery recycling industry and is expected to be the largest source of recycled battery-grade lithium on the continent," said Li-Cycle Executive...
In a renewable technology breakthrough, the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in collaboration with leading mobility technology company Magna, has unveiled a process that reshapes aluminum from automotive scrap and trimmings into material for new vehicle parts. This new manufacturing process, dubbed Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE), reportedly reduces more than 50% of the energy consumed while simultaneously reducing more than 90% of...