Lithium Carbonate & Graphite Recovered from Black Mass
UK First & Major Boost to UK EV Battery Recycling
(2 May 2023, Manchester UK) - Watercycle Technologies Ltd (‘Watercycle’ or ‘the Company’), a UK based startup, has, for the first time, recovered commercial grade lithium carbonate and graphite from black mass, a solid black powder containing a complex mixture of metals and impurities recovered from the recycling of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. Conducted in partnership with globally renowned precious metal recovery specialists RSBruce, the test work on 1 kg of Black Mass validates the Watercycle’s ground-breaking technology and underpins the major contribution that deep tech university spin outs are playing in championing the UK’s ambitions for the energy transition and the attainment of a circular economy.
HIGHLIGHTS
Watercycle’s technology proven to recover commercial grade critical minerals from black mass found in end-of-life lithium-ion batteries:
o Lithium carbonate
o Graphite
o Cobalt, nickel, and manganese
Advancing partnership with RSBruce to develop a tonnage-scale field trial to fulfil Watercycle’s strategy to deliver the UK’s first environmental solution to critical mineral recycling and supply.
Marks the first step forward in commercialising Watercycle’s DLEC™ technology.
Watercycle co-founder and CTO Dr Ahmed Abdelkarim said, “Manchester has an unparalleled history of innovations that have shaped the world. Just as the Industrial Revolution gave rise to the modern age, the transition to a circular economy will give rise to the sustainable age. We at Watercycle are making headway in this transition by being the first company in the UK to extract both lithium carbonate and graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries.”
These results demonstrate that our ground-breaking technology can recycle critical minerals from black mass cost-effectively, sustainably and with little waste. We expected to produce high grade lithium carbonate but the addition of the recovery of nearly 100% graphite is extremely exciting and a potential game-changer. Graphite represents between 30-40% of the minerals in an EV battery and the demand forecasts, as with lithium, are extremely pronounced as the world looks to decarbonise.”
Watercycle co-founder and CEO Dr Seb Leaper added, “The battery recycling market is estimated to grow from USD 17.2 billion in 2020 to USD 23.2 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2020 to 2025. There is therefore a fantastic commercial opportunity for companies that can recycle black mass and, having proven that we can extract multiple high-grade materials, we can now not only potentially generate significant revenue but also aid the transition towards a circular economy.”
RSBruce Battery Recycling Business Manager Sam Haig said, “We are very pleased with these ground-breaking results, which demonstrate the potential to increase material recovery from end-of-life batteries and ensure a reliable harvest of valuable raw materials for battery manufacturing. Accordingly, we look forward to continuing the collaboration with Watercycle and are now exploring plans to develop a pilot plant project.”
DETAILS
Testing & Results
As part of Watercycle’s development strategy, in collaboration with RSBruce, a globally renowned expert in precious metal recovery based in Sheffield, a Feasibility Study was undertaken aimed at maximising the recovery of graphite and lithium carbonate from spent batteries that can then be utilised in the EV supply chain for a UK best-in-class environmental solution to critical mineral recycling and supply.
Test work was carried out on 1 kg of Black Mass supplied by RSBruce – this is a solid powder containing a mixture of metals and impurities recovered from the recycling of end-of-life Lithium-ion batteries. The composition of the Black Mass consisted mainly of cobalt, nickel, manganese, and lithium, while also containing noticeable amounts of iron, aluminium, and copper. Based on analysis, the Black Mass contained graphite with a percentage up to 40%.
Black Mass samples were prepared for analysis, characterised, and treated using Watercycle’s proprietary membrane filtration process to recover graphite, lithium carbonate and a residual black mass solution comprising nickel, manganese, and cobalt in three separate streams. The lithium rich solution produced was then processed through Watercycle’s lithium extraction and crystallisation process with the resultant crystals then characterised with X-ray diffraction (‘XRD’) and compared to a commercial product.
The results demonstrate the significant opportunity to recover value-added products from Black Mass processing using Watercycle’s system. Notably, Watercycle’s system is more cost and environmentally friendly than its competitors due to its multistep extraction process that enables high value by-products to be recovered that can either be sold on or reused and can thereby offset the cost of reagents in the wider process.
Under the terms of the Agreement with RSBruce, having successfully completed the Feasibility Study, Watercycle and RSBruce are now working towards finalising plans for the development of a pilot plant.
ENDS
NOTES
Watercycle Technologies - www.watercycletechnologies.com
Watercycle, spun out from the University of Manchester and backed by business accelerator Aer Ventures, is an innovative, sustainability-driven deep tech company focused on developing high-yield, low-cost mineral extraction, and water treatment systems. Its advanced innovative membrane distillation-crystallisation (‘MDC’) technology is capable of treating highly concentrated water and is initially being utilised in lithium production from sub surface water and brines, as well as lithium-ion spent battery recycling, particularly relevant with regards to the current global transition towards a Circular Economy.
The Company is operating from the world class facilities at the Masdar Building at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre in Manchester, enabling the team to conduct critical R&D in state-of-the-art laboratories.
The Company’s patented membranes and systems are being developed and optimised by its UK and international R&D team led by Dr Seb Leaper and Dr Ahmed Abdelkarim to target industries including mining, desalination, agriculture, textiles, and food & beverage. Importantly, the modular technology delivers dramatic reductions in costs and carbon emissions with one of the important by product being fresh potable water.
Watercycle has a strong ethics-based business model that delivers profitable commercial solutions that are also focused on sustainability, environmental protection, and remediation.
About The Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) - www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk/geic
GEIC helps companies develop and launch new technologies, products and processes that exploit the remarkable properties of graphene and other 2D materials. Its world class facilities and resources, housed in the Masdar Building, are supported by experienced and knowledgeable applications engineers and internationally renowned academics, working across a broad range of novel technologies and applications. Together, it can help design, develop, scale and ‘de-risk’ the next generation of innovative products and processes.
About RSBruce Metals and Machinery Ltd - www.rsbruce.com
RSBruce, founded in 1974 in Sheffield, England, specialises in the recovery and processing of precious and valuable metals. Operating globally to recover precious and valuable metal resources from chemical plants and equipment, parts, electronics, and both solid and liquid wastes, the company prides itself on playing a key role in the innovation of the techniques used for the removal, recovery, and recycling of precious metals. In 2021, RSBruce established the UK’s first commercial lithium-ion battery recycling facility and is investing in an increased capacity facility, opening Q2 2023.