Battery technology company 24M has introduced a new battery recycling process that keeps the active materials in their original form and does not create a black mass. It said the system called Liforever, applies to semi-solid lithium-ion batteries. It makes it efficient and cost-effective to recover and reuse battery materials, including lithium iron phosphate (LFP), it said.
The US company’s CEO, Naoki Ota, said the use of binders in conventional cell production made direct recycling impractical. “Liforever solves these challenges by enabling the reuse of nearly every part of the battery cell without requiring the expensive, inefficient and environmentally challenging processes used in conventional cell recycling. These cost savings are further optimised by our streamlined SemiSolid technology, which eliminates half of the steps used in conventional cell production,” he said.
The company said conventional lithium-ion cells use expensive and toxic pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical recycling processes. They form black mass e-waste, which it said damages the structure of the anode and cathode materials.
Keeping the active materials in their original form enables the low-cost recycling of all active materials from the anode (graphite) and cathode (NMC, LFP, NCA, etc.), it said. After recovery, the active materials undergo a low-cost cleaning and re-lithiation where needed to reclaim their original capacity.