Active

Contract Opportunity

TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY

Electrochemical Membrane Reactor for Li-ion Battery Recycling

A new hydrometallurgical system to remove impurities from spent Li-ion battery electrode leachates using only electricity, water, and air

Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering to explore a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize this new system to recycle Li-ion battery electrode materials. This technology transfer opportunity is part of a dedicated effort to convert government-funded research into job opportunities, businesses, and, ultimately, an improved way of life for the American people.

Overview: The global consumption of Li-ion batteries is growing exponentially. The demand for batteries in the U.S. was 526 gigawatts per hour in 2020 and is projected to increase 17-fold by 2030. Policy changes in response to the global climate crisis partly fuel this trend. For example, California has established 2035 as the deadline for ending the production of gasoline-powered vehicles.

To meet this demand, all possible sources of battery materials will need to be considered to ensure sufficient supply – including material recovery from waste batteries. Unfortunately, current battery recycling technologies are not widely available and have negative environmental impacts.

Description: Researchers at INL have developed an electrochemical membrane reactor that is more environmentally friendly and readily removes contaminants from spent lithium-ion electrode leachates. This process recovers over 95% of electrode nickel and cobalt in the leachate. The reactor only requires water, air, and electricity during operation and generates acid as a by-product, which can be recycled as the leachate for a circular process. After contaminant removal, the leachate can be directly used as a precursor to synthesize battery-grade cathode materials for Li-ion batteries. This system shows promise in achieving the goal of a closed-loop Li-ion battery recycling process that is both cost-effective and environmentally sustainable.

Benefits:

• Process consumables are electricity, water, and air. Leachate chemistry is recycled and regenerated as a by-product of the electrochemical reaction.


• Nickel, Cobalt, and Manganese recovery efficiency are higher than 95%.


• Economically and environmentally sustainable.


• It significantly reduced chemical consumption and wastewater emission relative to other hydrometallurgical processes.


• In the purification step, energy consumption is as low as ~25 Wh per kilogram of batteries.

Applications:

• Li-ion battery recycling


• Cathode material manufacturers


• Li-ion battery manufacturers

Development Status: TRL 4 system has been validated in a laboratory environment.

IP Status: PCT Application No. PCT/US22/72109, “Electrochemical Membrane Apparatus Including an Electrochemical Membrane Reactor, and Related Methods,” BEA Docket No. BA-1198.

Additional Information:

Qiang Wang, Luis A. Diaz Aldana, Eric J. Dufek, Daniel M. Ginosar, John R. Klaehn, Meng Shi, “Electrification and decarbonization of spent Li-ion batteries purification by using an electrochemical membrane reactor, Separation, and Purification Technology,” Volume 307, 2023, 122828, ISSN 1383-5866, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2022.122828. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1383586622023851)

INL seeks to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Added value is placed on relationships with small businesses, start-up companies, and general entrepreneurship opportunities.

Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.

Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Andrew Rankin at td@inl.gov.

Attachments/Links