Summary
- Imperial College London research finds recycled EV battery materials match performance of mined materials from Altilium
- Altilium’s recycled materials show improvements in purity, morphology, and electrochemical performance
- Extensive electrochemical testing at Imperial demonstrates high rate and cycle performance of recycled CAM
- Altilium’s EcoCathode process recovers over 95% of critical metals from end-of-life EV batteries
- Altilium collaborates with UKBIC to produce battery cells using recycled CAM for validation with a leading automotive OEM
Article
New research conducted by Imperial College London has shown that recycled EV battery materials produced by UK-based Altilium are capable of matching the performance of mined materials. This analysis of Altilium’s commercial-grade recycled cathode active materials (CAM) indicated improvements in purity, morphology, and electrochemical performance compared to commercially available materials. These enhancements have the potential to result in improved battery performance, including longer battery life, faster charging times, and lower costs.
As part of the research program, Imperial conducted extensive electrochemical testing of coin cells and pouch cells manufactured with recycled CAM from Altilium’s ACT1 facility in Devon. The results demonstrated high rate and cycle performance compared to commercially available CAM used in high-nickel nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) 811 batteries. Altilium’s cycle cell capacity exceeded 150 mAh.g⁻¹, surpassing typical ranges for mined materials.
Furthermore, the analysis revealed advancements in particle size and distribution, which contributed to improved stability and cycling behavior. Minor changes observed during testing confirmed the recycled CAM’s chemical and physical robustness. Consistent particle sizes play a key role in the production of CAM with superior electrochemical properties.
Altilium’s EcoCathode process is capable of recovering over 95% of critical metals, including lithium, from end-of-life EV batteries. Unlike mined ores that can vary in quality and require extensive refining to eliminate impurities, recycled materials from standardized, manufactured batteries have reduced impurities and variability in metal composition. Recycled CAM precursors can also maintain favorable crystal structures and grain morphology, enabling the re-synthesis of high-performance materials.
The company highlighted that it is collaborating with the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) to produce battery cells using its recycled CAM for validation with a leading automotive OEM. This partnership aims to further demonstrate the capabilities and advantages of utilizing recycled EV battery materials in the production of high-performance batteries. Altilium’s efforts in developing sustainable solutions for battery materials could lead to significant advancements in the EV industry and contribute to a more environmentally friendly approach to battery production and recycling.
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