North American lithium-ion battery recycler Li-Cycle has completed its first shipment of commercial battery materials.
The material, processed at the Canadian firm’s facility in Ontario, contained metals such as cobalt, nickel and lithium.
The start-up has developed technology that enables 80-100% recovery of all materials found in lithium-ion batteries using a two-step mechanical and hydrometallurgical/ ‘wet chemistry’ process.
The company says its technology is capable of recycling all variants of cathode and anode chemistries within the lithium-ion spectrum, without the need for sorting into specific chemistries. The process produces no solid waste streams, minimal/no water discharge and no harmful air emissions.
Ajay Kochhar, president and CEO of Li-Cycle, said the shipment marked a significant milestone for the company in its bid to become a recovery processor for all types of lithium-ion batteries.
Li-Cycle is looking to expand into the US during 2020.
