Battery materials producer BASF has partnered with Nanotech Energy, a company specializing in graphene-based energy storage products, to use recycled materials in the production of lithium-ion batteries, according to a press release.
The partnership aims to not only bring more manufacturing to North America but also to reduce the CO2 impact of batteries by about 25 percent compared to when primary metals from mines are used.
BASF will be producing cathode active materials from recycled metals in Battle Creek, Michigan before the materials are used by Nanotech Energy to produce lithium-ion battery cells.
Additionally, both companies have partnered with American Battery Technology Company (ABTC), a lithium-ion battery recycling company in Reno, Nevada, and TODA Advanced Materials Inc. (TODA), a manufacturer of pCAM (precursor for Cathode Active Material) and metal hydroxide material, located in Ontario, Canada.
All four companies plan to work together as a localized battery value chain for the North American consumer electronics and automotive industries.
Battery scrap and off-spec material from Nanotech’s pilot operation in Chico, California will be recycled by ABTC. The battery-grade metals recovered by ABTC will then be used by TODA and BASF to produce new precursors and cathode active materials. The materials are then sent back to Nanotech to be used in battery cell production.
“Now, we are establishing the first closed-loop system in North America,” said BASF’s senior vice president of battery base metals and recycling, Daniel Schönfelder. “This enables BASF and Nanotech to produce lithium-ion batteries with locally recycled content.”
