Licensed Recovery Process for Lithium-ion Batteries Promises High Yield with "Zero Waste"

The word from the Licensee is that if the Lithium-ion Battery fits some manufacturing process, which they vaguely acknowledge as "depending on battery materials manufacturers' preferences and requirements," then they can recover 99.9% of the metals with "zero waste." It should go without saying ANY battery technology that hopes to surplant the Lead-acid technology need to be at least as economically viable. Materials recovery lends greatly to that, as currently Lead-acid batteries enjoy a "nearly 100 percent recycling rate."

These highlight from a press release from DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory states of the licensed recovery process

Momentum Technologies Inc., a Dallas, Texas-based materials science company that is focused on extracting critical metals from electronic waste, has licensed an Oak Ridge National Laboratory process for recovering cobalt and other metals from spent lithium-ion batteries.

Less than 5% of spent lithium-ion batteries in the United States are recycled. Several critical elements are used in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles, such as cobalt, nickel, lithium and manganese. Using the Membrane Solvent Extraction process, or MSX, developed by ORNL scientists as part of the Department of Energy's Critical Materials Institute, or CMI, these elements can be recovered in a highly pure form that can be reformulated into battery composition for new devices.

:::

MSX processing uses a limited amount of energy, labor and chemical solvents and can be applied to a variety of critical material recovery efforts. 

"This technology recovers 99.9% pure lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese oxides or sulfates depending on battery materials manufacturers' preferences and requirements," (Preston Bryant, founder and CEO of Momentum) said. "MSX is a closed-loop process; it is cheap, modular, energy efficient and produces nearly zero waste."

---

SOURCES

Process to recover metals from batteries licensed by Momentum Technologies
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-10/drnl-ptr101420.php
14-Oct-2020

Study finds nearly 100 percent recycling rate for lead batteries
https://www.recyclingtoday.com/article/battery-council-international-lead-battery-recycling/
November 16, 2017

---