Posted on 20 Mar 2024
Japanese chemical firm Toray Industries reportedly aims to commercialise a new lithium-ion battery recycling technology by March 2028.
According to Nikkei Asia, this new technology is expected to have a lithium recovery rate of at least 80%, with the company confirming rates of over 90% during the development stage. Test equipment will be installed at the factory in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, between 2024 and 2025 to verify safety and costs.
Though the average recovery rate for lithium currently stands at around 80-85%, a growing number of battery recyclers are already achieving rates of around 90%. For comparison, the recovery rate for other battery materials, such as nickel, cobalt and manganese, are usually higher at above 95%, Kallanish notes.
The company previously announced it has innovated a nanofiltration membrane to recover lithium from used automotive lithium-ion batteries. This membrane has a highly acid-resistant setup and a precision pore structure smaller than one nanometre.
“This success is the result of using organic synthesis, polymer chemistry, and nanotechnology after analysing membrane degradation from acids and optimal membrane pore structures for selective separation,” Toray has said. “The acid-resistance of this membrane is around five-fold higher than conventional offerings, with the selectivity being 50% greater.”
Last week, the company confirmed it has developed an ion-conductive polymer membrane that delivers 10-fold the ion conductivity of predecessors. It then claimed that this innovation would accelerate the deployment of solid-state batteries, air batteries, and other lithium metal batteries, greatly expanding the mileage ranges of electric vehicles, industrial drones, urban air mobility systems, and other transportation modes.
Kallanish has contacted Toray Industries for comment.
Source:Kallanish
