Battery materials firm Lithium Australia has completed initial tests on its lithium ferro phosphate (LFP) battery cells made from waste material, including low-grade spodumene and spent lithium-ion batteries.
The Australian firm has said testing revealed the 2032 cells, with a lithium metal negative electrode, achieved capacities of up to 161mAh/g at a 0.1C discharge rate1.
The company used its patents pending processes to recover lithium phosphate (LP) from waste spodumene.
It wholly-owned subsidiary VSPC has previously announced similar results with cathode material created from lithium phosphate recovered during the processing of mixed metals dust (MMD) from spent lithium-ion batteries via its subsidiary Envirostream Australia.
VSPC results from test sample cells indicate LFP produced by VSPC from spent lithium-ion batteries achieved a capacity of 159mAh/g1.
The LFP produced by VSPC using the company’s LieNA® and SiLeach® processes achieved capacities of 161mAh/g1.
Lithium Australia MD Adrian Griffin, said: “The availability of low-cost reagents for battery production varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Our work may well result in Australia, and Western Australia in particular, becoming a more competitive environment for battery production.
“The use of recycled materials can improve sustainability, reduce the industry’s reliance on conflict metals and help protect fragile ecosystems from the impacts of mining. We’re aiming for more ethical and environmentally acceptable outcomes for the battery industry as a whole.”
The recovery of lithium from spent batteries could provide a direct path to the production of LFP batteries.
Lithium Australia says its technology does not require lithium hydroxide or carbonate in the battery manufacturing process, which results in a lower manufacturing cost.
