Lithium Australia is recovering lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIB), providing a sustainable solution for batteries sent to landfill.
Adrian Griffin, Lithium Australia managing director, said there were currently few recycling operations around the world that could recover lithium from LIBs.
“LIT’s process has the potential to not only improve the sustainability of LIBs but also ease future supply constraints that may prove problematic to the industry,” Griffin said.
Envirostream Australia provides mixed metal dust (MMD) to LIT to recover lithium. MMD is generated from battery electrodes during the battery shredding process.
Refined lithium phosphate is produced from spent batteries for use in new lithium-ferro-phosphate (LFP) cathode material.
The LFP cathode material will then be used to make coin cells for performance testing of the cathode materials.
“The company’s ability to employ LP in the direct generation of LFP is a significant technical achievement, one that reduces the number of process steps required to manufacture the cathode powder,” Griffin said.
“That’s great news, because LFP is the perfect battery configuration for energy-storage systems suitable for the harsh Australian environment.”
In the process, cobalt, nickel, and copper have also been recovered.
Lithium Australia’s goal is to “close the loop on the energy-metal cycle in an ethical and sustainable manner.”