Battery Recycling ≠ Circularity

CEO Mike O’Kronley discusses EV battery circularity and the importance of advanced cathode manufacturing capabilities in the United States

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. Sometimes this happens overseas, but too often it doesn’t happen at all.

This presentation by Ascend Elements CEO Mike O’Kronley puts recycled battery materials under the microscope and explores the steps needed to engineer new, battery-ready cathode active material (CAM). 

CEO Mike O’Kronley discusses EV battery circularity and the importance of advanced cathode manufacturing in North America.

Electric vehicle 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.

In this video, Mike O’Kronley analyzes the chemical contents of black mass and compares it to customer specifications for cathode active materials (CAM). Viewed through the lens of circularity, he examines the benefits and limitations of recycling and engineering processes that produce black mass, metal salts, pCAM and CAM.  

The video ends with a detailed description of Ascend Elements’ patented Hydro-to-Cathode® direct precursor synthesis process. With this elegant technology, Ascend Elements can manufacture NMC pCAM and CAM from used lithium-ion batteries and battery manufacturing scrap to precise customer specifications. The closed-loop process eliminates up to 15 intermediary steps in the traditional cathode manufacturing process and provides significant economic and carbon-reduction benefits.

A recent life cycle assessment conducted by an independent third-party found Ascend Elements’ Hydro-to-Cathode® process produces EV battery cathode material at a 49% reduction in carbon emissions compared to traditional cathode manufacturing processes. By 2030, the company aims to achieve a 90% reduction in carbon footprint for its decarbonized cathode products.

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