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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--While lithium-ion battery technology has been around for years, the rise of electric vehicles and battery energy storage systems for power generation is seeing these batteries' use reach unprecedented levels. While some recycling centers for these batteries exist in the U.S., more are on the way, with the aim of repurposing battery materials as the current wave of batteries reach the end of their lifespan.
In addition to lithium, lithium-ion batteries contain other components that can be recycled, such as cobalt and nickel. As battery technology and use grows, it seems recycling methods are growing alongside. According to Ars Technica, some of the methods used in lithium-ion batteries are:
One of the largest battery recycling operations coming to North America is Li-Cycle Holdings' (NYSE:LICY) (Toronto, Ontario) "spoke-and-hub" format, where batteries are initially dissembled at "spoke" plants and will be shipped to a "hub" plant for the processing of black mass. Li-Cycle has completed spoke plants in Toronto; Rochester, New York; and Gilbert, Arizona, and is underway with construction of its hub plant in Rochester. Construction on the hub site in Rochester kicked off earlier this year. Upon completion, planned for next year, the facility will be able to process 35,000 tons per year of black mass material for reuse as other materials or for new batteries. Li-Cycle is wrapping construction on a fourth spoke plant in Alabama. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for the project report on the hub plant and here for the Alabama spoke plant.
A former Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) (Austin, Texas) employee is now chief executive officer of American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) (Reno, Nevada), which is constructing a recycling plant in Fernley, Nevada. The batteries will be "demanufactured," and then a chemical process will be used to extract materials. The company expects to recover battery-grade materials in less than three hours. Construction on the plant kicked off earlier this year and is expected to be completed in the first half of next year. Subscribers can click here for the project report.
Ace Green Recycling Incorporated (Bellevue, Washington) plans to construct a plant to recycle not only lithium-ion batteries, but also traditional lead-acid batteries used with internal combustion engines. Construction on the 400,000-square-foot plant is expected to kick off this year in the Corpus Christi, Texas, area. The facility is expected to recycle up to 100,000 metric tons of lead-acid batteries and 20,000 metric tons of lithium-ion batteries per year. Subscribers can click here for the project report.
Subscribers can click here for all project reports mentioned in this article, and click here for all related plant profiles.
While lead-acid batteries are an established technology and have been recycled for several years, lithium-ion batteries continue to evolve. However, their relatively long life allows potential recyclers to see what's on the way in regard to new technology and make adjustments to recycling plants in a timely manner, preparing for what's to come as this technology evolves.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
In addition to lithium, lithium-ion batteries contain other components that can be recycled, such as cobalt and nickel. As battery technology and use grows, it seems recycling methods are growing alongside. According to Ars Technica, some of the methods used in lithium-ion batteries are:
- The pyrometallurgy method, which uses high heat to incinerate a battery and obtain useful materials from the ash. Drawbacks to this method include high energy use, toxic fumes and the inability to recycle all the potential materials from the battery.
- Shredding the battery and extracting materials through chemical processes.
- Direct recycling, which deconstructs a battery and retains the anode and cathode materials to be reconditioned. A problem with this method is that batteries come in a range of styles and specifications and deconstructing them on a mass scale is difficult.
One of the largest battery recycling operations coming to North America is Li-Cycle Holdings' (NYSE:LICY) (Toronto, Ontario) "spoke-and-hub" format, where batteries are initially dissembled at "spoke" plants and will be shipped to a "hub" plant for the processing of black mass. Li-Cycle has completed spoke plants in Toronto; Rochester, New York; and Gilbert, Arizona, and is underway with construction of its hub plant in Rochester. Construction on the hub site in Rochester kicked off earlier this year. Upon completion, planned for next year, the facility will be able to process 35,000 tons per year of black mass material for reuse as other materials or for new batteries. Li-Cycle is wrapping construction on a fourth spoke plant in Alabama. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for the project report on the hub plant and here for the Alabama spoke plant.
A former Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) (Austin, Texas) employee is now chief executive officer of American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) (Reno, Nevada), which is constructing a recycling plant in Fernley, Nevada. The batteries will be "demanufactured," and then a chemical process will be used to extract materials. The company expects to recover battery-grade materials in less than three hours. Construction on the plant kicked off earlier this year and is expected to be completed in the first half of next year. Subscribers can click here for the project report.
Ace Green Recycling Incorporated (Bellevue, Washington) plans to construct a plant to recycle not only lithium-ion batteries, but also traditional lead-acid batteries used with internal combustion engines. Construction on the 400,000-square-foot plant is expected to kick off this year in the Corpus Christi, Texas, area. The facility is expected to recycle up to 100,000 metric tons of lead-acid batteries and 20,000 metric tons of lithium-ion batteries per year. Subscribers can click here for the project report.
Subscribers can click here for all project reports mentioned in this article, and click here for all related plant profiles.
While lead-acid batteries are an established technology and have been recycled for several years, lithium-ion batteries continue to evolve. However, their relatively long life allows potential recyclers to see what's on the way in regard to new technology and make adjustments to recycling plants in a timely manner, preparing for what's to come as this technology evolves.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
