Intelligent Recycling Technologies

This is one of the most challenging batteries to recycle for the current industrial approaches.  OnTo has demonstrated low cost, high-value recycling of this important chemistry.  Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) manufacturers can bring a sustainable recycling dimension to this chemistry.

Thermal runaway of batteries is a challenge for the industry.  OnTo addresses the dangerous nature of batteries to render them safe and inert when necessary.  These patented and patent-pending technologies remove hazardous characteristics of batteries while recovering critical materials.

The life-blood of the battery is the electrolyte, it is a lithium rich, valuable component of the cell.  OnTo has developed methods to remove electrolyte from whole cells.  Electrolyte extraction increases the recycled fraction of the battery and maximizes the recovered value in recycling.

If the battery is a machine the cathode is an intricate machine part, and through hard work and ingenuity, people have made cathodes that are very durable and can outlast the life of the battery.  Cathode-Healing makes possible the direct reuse of that machine part, that cathode.  Other technologies melt/dissolve these parts, then start over to put the energy into making another one; Cathode-Healing refurbishes the cathode part for reuse in new batteries.

By the end of the decade there will be 200 large-scale battery manufacturing efforts around the world. If these manufacturers want to improve their efficiency and bottom-line profitability, they can do that through OnTo’s On-Site Cathode-Healing service to improve manufacturing efficiency.

Pretreatment is a value-add process that both recovers critical materials from battery black mass and makes it processible for lithium and metals recovery or for producing new cathodes.

OnTo’s pilot plant is used for strategic development and engineering modeling.  Customer demand merits the expansion of this facility to accommodate production demonstrations and beta-testing for industrialization.

With direct recycling, Cathode-Healing™ it is possible for some cathodes to be used essentially infinitely.  With a minimal energy and material input, a Forever-Cathode can be reused in multiple generations of manufacturing.  One candidate is used in consumer electronics, lithium cobalt oxide. 

Now electronics OEMs can utilize LCO from Cathode-Healing to help meet carbon neutrality goals.  The carbon footprint is 440g/kg-battery for LCO from Cathode-Healing in a battery designed for recycle – where the carbon footprint from incumbent recycling is ~1,500g/kg-battery.  Industrialization of direct recycling is the way to meet carbon neutral goals with economic sustainability intact.