Li-Cycle has reported its first shipment of commercially recycled battery materials, processed at the company’s facility in Ontario. The shipment, made in December 2019, contained energy metals such as nickel, cobalt and lithium. Apparently, Li-Cycle is one of the few companies that has the capability of retrieving important battery materials from lithium-ion batteries in a safe and sustainable way. Founded in 2016, Li-Cycle has reportedly come up with a novel technology which allows 80-100% recovery of all materials observed in lithium-ion batteries with the aid of a two-step mechanical and wet chemistry/hydrometallurgical process. The process technology has the innate ability of recycling all variants of anode chemistries and cathode within the lithium-ion spectrum, keeping the requirement for sorting into specific chemistries at bay. According to sources, Li-Cycle assures lithium-ion batteries are processed safely without the risk of fire processing. It is believed the process technology is sustainable given that it does not produce solid waste streams, lethal air emission or water discharge. President and CEO of Li-Cycle Ajay Kochhar was quoted saying the first shipment of commercial product was a stepping-stone for Li-Cycle as the company forays into becoming a leading resource recovery processor and managing all sorts of lithium-ion batteries. Kochhar went on to pitch for sustainability and technologically innovative solutions which he said will be catalyst in solving challenges of end-of-life lithium-ion battery for global customers. If reports are to be believed, 559 million EVs will hit the road globally by 2040. In addition, the capacity of global lithium-ion battery energy storage installations is poised to expand more than 50-fold by the same time period. Even though lithium-ion batteries have become invaluable in embracing electrification, swiftly growing volumes of spent lithium-ion batteries have become a major concern. Li-cycle aims to bridge the gap by adopting a sustainable and innovative resource recovery process. Source credit: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/li-cycle-announces-first-commercial-shipment-of-recycled-battery-material-300982709.html
