This presentation will cover US battery supply chains and the role of black mass and battery recycling in adhering to IRA guidelines, BIL investments, and other legislative efforts. The presentation will also examine the state of black mass markets and its current drivers.

The term “closed-loop” is used to describe many types of battery recycling processes, but some are more tightly closed and efficient than others. This presentation will review the technical and economic aspects of various closed-loop battery recycling technologies and compare true closed-loop approaches vs. more open global approaches that incorporate processing in Asia. We will discuss and compare the regulatory landscapes and compliance issues in the United States and Europe. This presentation will examine how upcoming legislation may support closed-loop approaches. Understanding these dynamics is essential for OEMs to stay compliant and competitive.

This talk will discuss Western-specific battery recycling, infrastructure buildout, and black mass trading using Benchmark data—with comparisons made between the West, China, and the rest of Asia, alongside insights into how Western recycling infrastructure must be directed to reach the required capacities. More specifically, North American–based battery recycling will be discussed, where momentum has been made with capacity buildout, legislation, and company announcements in recent months.

Making new battery chemicals from end-of-life batteries is a newer process and with that comes complexities. The collecting, sorting, and mechanical and hydrometallurgical processing—to the creation of a product that meets tight OEM requirements—is just one challenge Cirba Solutions is actively solving. We will provide an overview of the materials management of used batteries and scrap into new batteries creating a closed-loop domestic supply of critical battery materials.

EV battery recycling policies are either implemented or proposed in several states around the U.S., including New Jersey, California, Washington State, and Hawaii. These policies are intended to increase recycling rates and create an alternative and local source of minerals. This session will explore what these policies require, the motivations behind their creation, and how they differ from the European Union requirements.

Explore the entire vehicle lifecycle and the changes that will be necessary to promote a transition to electric vehicles. This session will also explore the policy considerations and regulatory activities associated with safe handling, storage, transport, and dismantling of electric vehicles and electric vehicle batteries.

Presently the volumes of LIBs reaching end-of-life are modest, but looking forward much greater volumes are anticipated. What are the future technologies that can enable an efficient circular economy of lithium- ion batteries, that look beyond current industry practice? Drawing on the foresight of a number of significant reviews and roadmap exercises, promising leading-edge innovations that could enhance the circularity of lithium-ion batteries will be discussed.

This presentation explores the negative impacts of residual metal impurities derived from hydrometallurgical processing of black mass. It will examine advanced separation and purification technologies to achieve the purity requirements to yield battery-grade products and the challenges associated therein. Case studies will be presented to give environmental footprint, sustainability metrics, economics, and physical footprint. Additionally, it evaluates the economic aspects of producing metal salts versus pCAM/CAM. The findings provide insights into optimizing recycling processes and improving the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of LIB material recovery.

The rise of electric vehicles has significantly increased the demand for lithium-ion batteries, highlighting the need for effective recycling methods. Recycling focuses on extracting valuable materials from spent batteries and manufacturing scraps, reducing reliance on raw materials and environmental impacts. Notably, manufacturing scraps, like electrode trimmings and rejected coatings, present unique opportunities for direct recycling. This presentation explores recent advancements in solvent-based separation processes developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Recovered active materials can be remanufactured into new electrodes with similar performance to pristine ones, promoting a sustainable, circular battery economy, and reducing the industry's environmental footprint.

Neutralization of batteries and direct recycling of their materials are critical technologies to improve logistical safety in the supply chain at battery end-of-life, and to reuse scrap in original manufacturing. Onsite recycling to address manufacturing scrap and onsite neutralization to address generation of class-9 hazards in lithium-ion battery recycling are technologies developed by OnTo; these are available for integration within the industry from the gigafactory to the EV service shop.

A key challenge in the Li-ion Battery recycling industry is the interplay between battery compositions and the market, and how forces between will drive the business case for participants. Access to black mass, varying chemistries, and a general delay in end-of-life further add complications to the nascent industry. This presentation is sharing Hatch’s perspective on how the evolving battery recycling market will develop and how market participants can adapt.

As of 2024, the North American recycling supply chain is not a closed loop within the region, and the challenges include "leakage" of black mass to Asia (sometimes Europe) and lack of pCAM factory. This presentation will discuss the challenges and business opportunities for establishing a closed-loop supply chain within North America in the future.

Water-using recycling processes—such as wet crushing and electrohydraulic fragmentation—generate large amounts of contaminated process water, resulting in increased costs for the disposal of hazardous waste and safety guidelines. To improve wastewater management, safety, and sustainability of water-assisted recycling processes, comprehensive knowledge of the battery components in the water are required. Analytical techniques can play an important role during these processes including wet shredding processes, wastewater management, and analytical techniques.

The lack of shared, trusted, and transparent battery data is a key bottleneck to scalable EV battery circularity. In this presentation, Antoni Tong, CEO of Smartville, will discuss their efforts in creating a data platform and a battery pack testing kit. These tools aim to easily assess, capture, and share battery health data, supporting data-driven battery recycling and reuse, and fostering vital EV battery marketplaces.

This presentation aims to provide an overview of the new energy battery market and policy that demands an efficient recycling solution and demonstrate the significance of recycling in terms of carbon reduction. A novel recycling solution incorporating advanced recycling technologies such as pre-lithium extraction, an ultra-short extraction and separation system to achieve efficient and synchronous recovery of Ni, Co, Mn, an efficient LFP multi-component recycling process, and direct repairing has been developed by Botree based on the carbon assessment system and will be introduced, which will better facilitate industrial carbon neutrality.