Iondrive uses biodegradable solvents to recover critical minerals without acid-leaching.
Australian-based battery recycling company Iondrive has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research TNO to advance the commercialization of its battery recycling technology (PDF). Under the non-binding agreement, the two sides seek to validate Iondrive’s proprietary recycling technology and establish additional industry partnerships.
Iondrive uses biodegradable organic solvents to recover critical minerals from lithium-ion batteries. According to the company, this avoids the usage of acid-leaching, reducing the overarching footprint of the recycling method. Batteries are mainly recycled by shredding and pre-treating end-of-life batteries into a uniform powdery mixture known as black mass. The substance of mixed cathode and anode material contains critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and graphite. It is typically shipped to Asia for processing as Western countries lack the necessary processing capacities. Iondrive aims to refine black mass into battery-grade levels and further valorize them into precursor cathode material for battery production known as pCAM. According to the company, there is currently no commercial-scale pCAM manufacturing in Europe, creating a gap in the value chain. Through the commercialization of its technology, the company plans to bring it to the Western market to fill this gap. Iondrive added that a pre-feasibility study is set to be completed later this month.
Mining giant Glencore also expanded into the recycling of batteries recently, announcing the construction of Europe’s largest battery recycling plant in Sardinia (nous avons rapporté)
The agreement with TNO follows the signing of a similar collaboration agreement in August between Iondrive and the Chair of Production Engineering of EMobility Components at the German university RWTH Aachen to advance sustainable battery recycling methods (PDF).
While focusing on battery recycling, Iondrive also holds multiple lithium, rare earth element, and precious metals exploration projects in South Korea through a subsidiary.
Photo : iStock/jroballo
