According to a recent report by the World Economic Forum, the rising demand for clean energy transition globally, and limited access to the supply of critical materials to do so, may hamper efforts to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
This sentiment is echoed by the International Energy Agency in a report that highlights a need for an increase in global critical materials trade, as well as massive increases needed in deployment of Solar PV, Batteries, and other Green Tech by 2035 to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
To help the cause, experts at the Center on Global Energy Policy of Columbia|SIPA is calling for strengthening the US EV battery recycling industry to onshore critical material supply. Full-scale efforts to support the energy transition are underway, led by innovation in battery materials tech, electric vehicles (EVs), and even powering artificial (AI) data centers, with recent developments coming from: Battery X Metals, Rivian Automotive, Amprius Technologies, Lifezone Metals Limited and Advanced Energy Industries.
According to BloombergNEF, the mining industry needs USD 2.1 trillion dollars in new investment by 2050 to meet net-zero demands for raw materials. Earlier in October, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a USD 1.5 billion investment in four important transmission projects.
To help meet the supply demand issue by improving battery recycling technology, Battery X Metals announced in early November that advancements have been made in eco-friendly Lithium-ion Battery Material Recovery Technology to extend the lifespan of electric vehicle batteries and to recover battery-grade materials from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries.
Battery X Metals is developing this technology in collaboration with an (undisclosed) Global Top 20 University as part of an ongoing research partnership.
According to Battery X Metals CEO Massimo Bellini Bressi, the partnership has led to promising results in optimizing battery-grade graphite recovery from lithium-ion battery black mass using Battery X’s proprietary froth flotation process. Bressi claims that these trials have been instrumental in refining the technology to recover battery-grade materials such as graphite, lithium, nickel, and cobalt from black mass, advancing both technological development and process design.
“Our progress in developing proprietary eco-friendly technology is a significant step forward in sustainable battery recycling, particularly by addressing graphite recovery, which is often overlooked in conventional methods. The positive preliminary results from our collaboration with a Global Top 20 University highlights our potential to meet the increasing demand for battery materials in a sustainable way. We look forward to advancing this partnership, validating our technology, applying for provisional patents, and ultimately exploring strategic opportunities to license our technology to industry partners,” says Bressi.
In controlled laboratory tests, the University conducted multiple experiments to optimize black mass flotation in a Denver Cell with a 500g sample size for each experiment, assessing various frother and collector dosages across single- and multi-stage flotation protocols. Initial single-stage tests focused on frother-only trials to stabilize bubbles, followed by adding a collector to enhance graphite’s hydrophobicity. The frother-alone trials produced dark froth that lightened over time, while the addition of a collector created a more stable, thicker froth, extending flotation duration and enhancing graphite separation.
Multi-stage flotation protocols with adjusted frother and collector dosages further refined the separation process. Multi-stage flotation showed that each stage’s froth thinned and lightened over time, with flotation effectively concluding more rapidly.
Preliminary assays confirmed that the black mass sample used in the experiments consisted of approximately 45% graphite, with oxides and phosphates comprising the remainder. Initial separation tests successfully floated approximately 45% of the black mass sample (mainly graphite), while oxides and phosphates remained in the tailings, underscoring the efficiency of the flotation process in isolating battery-grade graphite, a fundamental component to lithium-ion anodes. These promising results serve as a baseline for validating the recovery technology.
According to Bressi, Battery X and the University have made strides in process design through lab-scale trials, demonstrating that multi-stage flotation achieves more efficient material separation than single-stage methods. Trials incorporated varied reagent dosages to stabilize froth formation, maximize graphite yield, and manage oxide and phosphate separation in specific stages. Ongoing R&D efforts focus on consistent trial results that align with industry metrics, providing a solid foundation for future potential scalability.
Battery X and the University intend to conduct comprehensive chemical assays to quantify graphite recovery rates, assess material purity, and verify oxide and phosphate separation.
With the current black mass sample primarily oxide-based, the next phase will focus on validating oxide and phosphate recovery, testing additional surfactants in dedicated flotation stages for future patent applications and commercial use.
To further support this phase, Battery X plans to provide the University with phosphate-based black mass samples to test in tandem with its existing oxide-based sample. Upon successful validation Battery X and the University plan to pursue provisional patents to secure IP for these advancements, with the Battery X’s future business strategy centred on licensing this IP to battery recyclers with existing infrastructure, aiming to establish itself as a downstream technology partner with a low-capex, scalable model.
Other recent industry developments including US EV manufacturer Rivian Automotive, claims that the company is experiencing a production disruption due to a shortage of a shared component on the R1 and RCV platforms. The supply shortage impact began in Q3 of this year, became more acute in the weeks prior to the press release, and continues. As a result of the supply shortage, Rivian is revising its annual production guidance to be between 47,000 and 49,000 vehicles. Rivian is also reaffirming its annual delivery outlook of low single digit growth as compared to 2023, which it expects to be in a range of 50,500 to 52,000 vehicles.
However, according to Amprius Technologies CEO Dr Kang Sun, they recently started production of new lines supporting its silicon anode battery platform, SiCore, which was launched in January. This boost allows Amprius to ramp up capacity to 800 MWh for SiCore pouch cells, meeting growing demand. Shipments started in October 2024, including a USD 20 million order for Light Electric Vehicles.
“With this expanded contract manufacturing arrangement, we’ve secured gigawatt-hour-scale production capacity for SiCore silicon anode batteries across our key partnerships. This strategic expansion enables us to deliver the high-performance silicon batteries that our customers rely on to power their most advanced electric mobility applications,” says Sun.
Lifezone Metals, a supplier of lower-carbon and sulfur dioxide emissions to the battery storage, EV, and hydrogen markets, also recently announced the signing of an MoU with Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security to support its efforts to secure cleaner metals from the Kabanga Nickel Project, one of the world’s largest and highest-grade undeveloped nickel sulfide deposits with byproduct copper and cobalt, for the Japanese battery industry.
According to Lifezone CEO Chris Showalter, by utilizing Lifezone’s Hydromet technology, the Project is expected to significantly reduce emissions compared to traditional smelting methods.
“Kabanga is a world-class, high-grade nickel deposit and we welcome the opportunity to bring on JOGMEC as a strategically aligned partner. With BHP as our project development partner, Societe Generale as our Lead Financial Advisor for the project financing process, the support of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and the Government of Tanzania, and now strategic cooperation with JOGMEC, we see a clear indication of intent to drive this globally significant project forward to the benefit of all partners and stakeholders,” says Showalter.
Advanced Energy Industries also showcased its ultra-efficient power supplies, shelves, and converters for enterprise and hyperscale data centers at the Open Compute Project Global Summit. To meet the power demands of high-density AI servers, Advanced Energy showcased its ORv3 5.5kW HPR power supply unit (PSU), delivering near 98% peak efficiency.
According to Advanced Energy VP of Marketing Brian Korn, this PSU optimizes power for GPU-heavy applications, reducing strain on data centers’ AC infrastructure with a higher power factor for dynamic loads.
“Over the past seven years, our involvement in the OCP Community has allowed us to advance the industry and introduce best-in-class platforms that have significantly benefited the broader market. Our innovations in density, efficiency and rack-scale power conversion are designed to meet the evolving demands of AI, both for today and the future,” says Korn.
