America’s fledgling battery recycling industry has taken several steps forward in recent weeks, with the government ramping up seed funding and corporates signing major agreements.
Why it matters: Recycling is critical both for reducing the environmental impact of the battery industry and for bolstering and diversifying value chains. In particular, it’s a way to mitigate over-reliance on China for minerals needed in the energy transition.
Unlike traditional cars, which burn fuel, the minerals inside an electric vehicle’s battery are infinitely recyclable. Though still in its infancy, EV battery recycling is already profitable and capable of recovering more than 95% of the key minerals.
The latest: Last week, Redwood Materials announced a partnership with BMW’s North American unit to recycle the car-maker’s lithium-ion batteries. The deal covers all the group’s brands, including BMW, MINI, Rolls Royce, and BMW Motorrad.
Redwood will work with BMW dealerships, distribution centres, and internal facilities to recover end-of-life batteries and then recycle them at its facilities in Nevada and South Carolina, the groups said in a statement. A recent analysis by Stanford University researchers found that Redwood’s recycling process produces 70% fewer emissions than the traditional supply chain, and requires 80% less water.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Energy announced a second round of funding for battery projects under the 2021 infrastructure law, as part of the country’s efforts to develop an end-to-end supply chain for batteries and critical minerals.
The first round included funding for the expansion of an existing lithium-ion recycling facility in Ohio, while the latest includes funding for six new plants. However, the disbursements aren’t guaranteed — they’re contingent on various conditions being met.
Among other projects, the department awarded $155 million to American Battery Technology Company to build a facility in South Carolina that will process an estimated 100,000 tonnes of battery materials a year.
Ascend Elements and Orbia secured funding to construct a first-of-its-kind recycled graphite production facility, which will convert graphite residue from an existing recycling operation into battery-grade graphite.
Blue Whale Materials, Cirba Solutions, Clarios Circular Solutions and Li Industries were also awarded funding for their projects.
Elsewhere in the clean energy value chain, Korean solar module manufacturer Qcells recently partnered with Solarcycle to recycle its decommissioned panels in the US.
Tags: Battery recycling
