American technology company developed lithium battery upgrade and recycling

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Time : 2022.04.15

Massachusetts-based lithium-ion battery recycling and manufacturer "Ascend Elements" has developed a process to take valuable battery metal elements and make them into new battery materials, rather than just recycling the entire components. Ascend can then sell these materials directly to lithium battery manufacturers.

While the cathode materials that store electricity in batteries degrade, the materials that make them up do not. They are infinitely recyclable. There are plenty of companies in the world already in the business of recycling used lithium-ion batteries, but Ascend Elements claims it's not just recycling, but "upcycling" that puts the raw materials of used lithium-ion batteries directly back into the supply chain. Ascend shreds used batteries and manufacturing waste to turn them into a black powder. All plastic, aluminum and copper lumps are then removed and impurities are filtered out, leaving behind the valuable nickel, cobalt and lithium that make up the battery’s positive material. Batteries made using the cathode material recycling method not only perform as well as batteries made from scratch, but also last longer and charge faster[Neware Battery Tester]. There are other battery recycling companies on the market, but they cannot break down the components into this high-value cathode material.

Ascend Elements has raised $95 million to date from Jaguar Land Rover-owned InMotion Ventures, Hitachi Ventures, Orbia, Doral Energy, and investors including At One Ventures, TDK Ventures and Trumpf Ventures. It is currently conducting a new round of fundraising.

Lithium-ion batteries are essential for the low carbon emissions of the future environment. But it also has a disadvantage: the production of lithium batteries requires a lot of energy, especially in the mining and refining of lithium ore. According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Energy, the global lithium battery market is expected to grow tenfold over the next decade and become an integral part of everything from electric vehicles to electric energy storage from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.

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