BASF in battery recycling deal

Under a new deal, BASF is to produce cathode active materials (CAMs) from recycled metals from its site at Battle Creek, Michigan, for use in Li-ion battery cells produced by Nanotech Energy, a US specialist in graphene-based energy storage products.  The two will also partner with American Battery Technology (ABTC), a Li-ion battery recycling company in Nevada, and Toda Advanced Materials, an Ontario firm which produces CAM precursors (pCAMs) and metal hydroxide material, to establish a battery value chain for the North American consumer electronics and automotive industries.

ABTC will recycle battery scrap and off-spec material, such as nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium, from Nanotech’s pilot operation in Chico, California, and its planned commercial facility TODA and BASF will then use it to produce pCAMs and CAMs respectively for Nanotech. BASF has offered CAMs based on recycled metals as a closed-loop service in Asia for years and also recently announced battery recycling capacity in Europe. It is estimated that using recycled metals in new Li-ion batteries can reduce their CO2 impact by about 25% compared to primary metals from mines.