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Aqua Metals has recovered copper from lithium-ion battery black mass at the company’s Tahoe-Reno location. The plating of the high-quality copper, which is selectively plated atom-by-atom, is another step towards Aqua Metals’ goal of recovering all high-value materials in lithium-ion batteries. To date, the company has also produced high-purity lithium hydroxide from lithium-ion battery black mass and has successfully lab-tested cobalt plating.
Copper is an important raw material for manufacturing the copper foil for lithium-ion batteries. Electric vehicles can contain more than a mile of copper wires, using 4 to 16 times more copper than gasoline-powered vehicles.
As of 2021, the world consumed 30 million tonnes of copper per year, and by 2050 it is predicted to double to 60 million tonnes. Efficient and clean recycling methods for recovering copper from spent lithium-ion batteries are critical to meeting this global demand.
The company recycles spent lithium-ion batteries in a clean, economical way that is fundamentally non-polluting by utilizing the renewable electron as the reagent instead of chemicals or high heat. The room-temperature process uses about 1/200th of the chemicals of a standard hydro process and does not generate the carbon footprint of a high heat approach.
Li AquaRefining is a closed-loop process that recycles the chemicals it uses. Consequently, it has a fraction of the waste streams, estimated at approximately 99.5 percent less than the standard hydro process, according to the company.
“What differentiates us from other metals recycling processes is that our technology produces high-purity metals. Cathode materials can be produced from pure metals, and starting with high-purity metals is the best approach to making cathode materials,” said David Regan, vice president of commercial for Aqua Metals. “We believe our technology will provide our partners with the ability to recycle more economically and cleanly, and provide a superior business opportunity with the option of selling product back into the battery supply chain or selling high-purity metals to the metals industry.”
In addition to lithium and copper, Aqua Metals’ R&D program is working to recycle the other critical elements of lithium-ion batteries such as cobalt, nickel, and manganese. Aqua Metals will continue to update the market when meaningful progress is made in the recycling process.
X-BATT REUSES LITHIUM-ION WASTE GRAPHITE TO PRODUCE NEW BATTERIES CENTURY WASTE SERVICES ADDS DENNIS EAGLE PROVIEW COLLECTION TRUCK TO FLEET
X-BATT is getting closer to producing more powerful batteries by reusing waste graphite that usually ends up in landfills. The company’s polymer technology, along with recycled graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries, can be made into a composite anode that outperforms traditional materials. Recycled graphite is highly contaminated and was unable to be reused in batteries – until now.
“Graphite isn’t an unlimited resource, and the U.S. imports all of its battery-grade graphite from foreign countries. X-BATT’s team is combating this challenge by discovering innovative ways to reuse waste graphite and create new batteries that are just as powerful, if not more so, than their traditional counterparts – something many people thought would never be possible,” said Bill Easter, founder of X-BATT.
The benefits of this new material don’t stop at its increased performance. This technology could also lead to a domestic source for anode material, helping to support the increased demand for lithium-ion batteries that is expected to grow by 25 percent each year. X-BATT’s techniques can help meet this demand in an eco-friendly way.
To help further its research, the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) awarded Semplastics, X-BATT’s parent company, a $1 million contract to produce polymer-derived ceramic composite anodes using coal as a carbon source for lithium-ion batteries. The company has discovered that adding a carbon source, such as coal, to the PDC material offers stability and normalizes charge/discharge behaviour, improving cycling life and decreasing nominal voltage.
LAST20 BEGINS TESTING OF ASPHALT MADE WITH RECYCLED PLASTICS
Last20 will partner with the Yonkers Department of Public Works to test asphalt made with recycled plastics. To make the asphalt, Last20 replaces a portion of bitumen, the common binding agent in traditional pavement, with low-density polyethylene. The plastic-infused pavement will be tested as part of a program that aims to drive economic development, innovation, and growth in Westchester County, New York. Century Waste Services will use a Dennis Eagle ProView collection truck in New York as part of a bid to further improve safety in the city’s collection operations.
Century Waste Services’ new refuse vehicle will provide direct vision, helping drivers see pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles, and any obstacles on the roads around them. The collection truck also features a low-entry walk-thru cab which makes entering and exiting the vehicle safer.
Century Waste Service’s first ProView collection truck will initially operate in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, but Savino says the company is among the bidders for New York City’s commercial waste zones which are planned to be introduced later this year.
NTH CYCLE RECEIVES $1 MILLION INNOVATION GRANT TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE COBALT SUPPLY IN NORTH AMERICA
Nth Cycle has been awarded a $1 million National Science Foundation Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant in support of building a sustainable domestic supply of cobalt and other critical minerals in North
America.
Nth Cycle’s clean and modular electro-extraction technology can salvage cobalt and other critical minerals from a variety of ore and low-grade mine tailings for use in new domestic clean energy technology production, like batteries for electric vehicles, wind turbine generators, or energy storage.
Nth Cycle is capable of processing these metals at 75 percent lower carbon intensity while operating at a significantly lower cost through 60 percent energy savings compared to traditional technologies, according to the company. Mining and upgrading domestic critical minerals sustainably is crucial for building a clean energy future domestically.
Nth Cycle’s modular electro-extraction technology is used by miners as an alternative or enhancement to older processing technologies.
SONOCO ALLOYD WINS ISRI 2022 DESIGN FOR RECYCLING AWARD
In recognition of its innovation and commitment to sustainability in the design and manufacturing of new products, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries has named Sonoco
Alloyd as the 2022 Design for Recycling winner. The award is presented annually to the most innovative contribution to products designed with recycling in mind.
Sonoco has received the award for its Sonoco Alloyd Enviro-
Sense PaperBlister package that offers a recyclable alternative to traditional retail plastic-to-card blister packaging – all without the need for costly new sealing equipment lines.
Made entirely from renewable resources, the EnviroSense
PaperBlister package is plastic-free, so it is recyclable in the paper stream.
MCNEILUS ACQUIRES CARTSEEKER VEHICLE AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY
McNeilus has acquired the CartSeeker curbside automation product from Eagle Vision Systems and Waterloo Controls. McNeilus is focused on designing and developing technology and other heavy-duty truck advancements, and this investment in refuse collection vehicle automation drives that strategy forward.
CartSeeker curbside automation is a patented AI-based recognition technology that identifies and locates curbside waste carts and helps automate the operation of the truck’s robotic lift arm without joystick manipulation. The CartSeeker product will complement McNeilus’ ongoing work with autonomy by providing more potential for solutions that deliver operational simplicity and high performance.
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GREYPARROT’S HYBRID AI WASTE RECOGNITION SYSTEM RECEIVES £488,000 DEVELOPMENT GRANT
Greyparrot, in collaboration with Blue Green Vision, has been awarded £488,000 by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to develop a hybrid AI/Near-Infrared (NIR) waste recognition and monitoring system to provide automated, cost-effective, and accurate recognition of plastics waste at scale.
The system will enable the identification of all types of material and packaging, including the recognition of black plastics and mixed material packaging that confuse current NIR systems. The system can also distinguish packaging by usage and differentiate polymers with a high granularity.
The live recognition data will be integrated with sorting machines and other equipment to add this cognitive intelligence to existing infrastructure. This recognition capability will eventually be extended to other materials such as scrap metal, WEEE, and fibre.
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BASF TO EXPAND BATTERY MATERIAL RECYCLING IN NORTH AMERICA WITH NEW FACILITY
BASF has signed an agreement to secure land for its future cathode active materials (CAM) and recycling site in Bécancour, Quebec, as part of its commitment to support North
American producers in their transition to e-mobility.
The investment is intended to enhance BASF’s CAM production footprint in North America by complementing its existing manufacturing sites. The new site allows for ample space to expand up to 100 kt of CAM per year with the potential for a fully integrated precursor cathode active materials supply. The site will also be well connected to BASF’s global metal sourcing network with the provision for a nickel and cobalt intermediates base metal refinery and recycling of all battery metals, including lithium. The opportunity for potential future upstream investment integration supports BASF’s strategy to build an integrated, closed-loop battery materials ecosystem in key regions. customized options available!
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