Ascend Elements is sharing new details of its innovative Hydro-to-Cathode™ process technology, which helps explain how the company can transform critical elements from recycled lithium-ion batteries into new cathode materials that rival or exceed the performance of cathode materials made with virgin metals.
The company is bringing advanced materials engineering to the recycling industry. By engineering the composition and microstructure of lithium-ion cathode particles during the direct precursor synthesis phase of its Hydro-to-Cathode process, Ascend Elements can deliver custom-made battery materials to precise customer specifications.
“Depending on the intended application, battery manufacturers require cathode active materials with different nickel, cobalt and manganese concentrations. They may need battery material with a specific particle size, crystallinity, or porosity to meet their requirements,” said Eric Gratz, Ph.D., Co-founder and CTO of Ascend Elements. “These adjustments in the elemental composition of the cathode material can make a huge difference in the energy density, safety, power, cycle life and overall performance of batteries.”
The battery chemistry and elemental composition of a lithium-ion battery is largely defined by the cathode active material used in the battery. A light-duty passenger EV battery optimized for weight and range will require a different cathode material than a commercial vehicle Li-ion battery designed for power and durability. Similarly, cathode material to be used in a power drill will not meet the same specifications as battery material meant for a laptop. The variety of battery chemistries is as varied as the many battery applications out there, from massive utility grid energy storage systems (ESS) to handheld smart phones.
“When it comes to recycling used lithium-ion batteries and transforming those critical elements into new cathode material, it doesn’t matter what type of lithium-ion battery is recycled. The battery chemistry at the start of the process has no impact on the type of new cathode material we can make from it. If the feedstock is a lithium-ion battery, we can transform it into the latest type of cathode,” Gratz said.
In other words, Ascend Elements can recycle a 10-year-old battery from a first-generation EV, break it down to an aqueous solution containing lithium, nickel and cobalt atoms, and then rearrange those atoms into the newest type of cathode active materials – from NMC 811 to NMCA or any other Li-ion battery chemistry.