Lithium News

The growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and the subsequent need for lithium batteries is increasing the demand for two critical raw materials, lithium and cobalt.

According to a report published by McKinsey & Company, the demand for cobalt is expected to increase by 60 percent to reach 222 kilotons of refined metal equivalent by 2025, up from 136 kilotons in 2017. The demand for lithium will increase more than threefold, to 669 kilotons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) between 2017 and 2025.

The price of cobalt and lithium has spiked in recent years due to the increasing demand and its limited supply.

More than 65 percent of cobalt production is concentrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while the lithium supply comes from Australia, China, and Latin America.

One in every twenty Europeans works in the automotive industry and the European Union believes that unless it catches up on battery technology, those jobs are at risk.

That’s why the group is planning to allow state aid for electric battery research and will offer billions to companies willing to build giant plants, it said Monday.

“Batteries will be as essential to the automotive industry of the 21st century as the combustion engine was in the 20th century,” Maros Sefcovic, energy vice president of the European Commission, said commenting on the one-year anniversary of the European Battery Alliance (EBA). “If the EU is to maintain its leadership in the automotive sector, but also in clean energy systems, it has to have independent capacity to develop and produce batteries.”

The pieces are in place and the objective is clear — to reduce reliance on batteries from Asia, particularly, China and South Korea, as European carmakers come under increasing pressure to catch onto the ongoing electric vehicles (EVs) boom.

Battery cell maker Northvolt, which has already begun building in Sweden what will be Europe’s largest lithium-ion battery cell factory, said Monday it would ask the European Investment Bank (EIB) for additional funds to speed up construction.

It also said it had secured a deal with German carmaker BMW and Belgian materials and recycling firm Umicore to design and commercialize a process that would give vehicle batteries a second lease of life as storage products before recycling them.

BMW will provide expertise in battery cell development and Umicore will be responsible for developing active anode and cathode materials and recycling, the companies said.

The EU says partnership like this are set to boom as EBA now offers five types of funding, some of which allow country members to finance 100 percent of research, as long as they involve some cross-border projects.

EU-based battery industry

“The creation of an EU-based battery industry is a long term strategic goal. One which we cannot expect car manufacturers to support on their own,” the European Battery Alliance said. “Given the promise a long term rewards for the EU, public investment in developing the battery industry is a no-brainer.”

To date, there are 260 companies involved across the supply chain and four groups have expressed interest in building a Gigafactory, Sefcovic said.

Other than Northvolt, there are three groups moving forward with plans to build lithium-ion battery plants: French battery company Saft has partnered with Siemens, Solvay, and Manz; Umicore wants a factory to make battery materials in Poland, and Germany battery maker Varta is likely to announce a collaboration with US carmaker Ford.

Asian companies are getting in the game in Europe, too: South Korea’s LG Chem and Samsung are looking to build plants in Poland and Hungary, respectively, while China’s No.1 maker of battery cells for EVs, CATL, will build one in Thuringia, in east-central Germany.

In late July of 2008 a British solar plane set an unofficial flight-endurance record by remaining aloft for more than three days straight. Lithium-sulfur batteries emerged as one of the great technological advances that enabled the flight -powering the plane overnight with efficiency unmatched by the top batteries of the day. Ten years later, the world is still awaiting the commercial arrival of “Li-S” batteries. But a breakthrough by researchers at Drexel University has just removed a significant barrier that has been blocking their viability.

Technology companies have known for some time that the evolution of their products, whether they’re laptops, cell phones or electric cars, depends on the steady improvement of batteries. Technology is only “mobile” for as long as the battery allows it to be, and Lithium-ion batteries—considered the best on the market—are reaching their limit for improvement.

With battery performance approaching a plateau, companies are trying to squeeze every last volt into, and out of, the storage devices by reducing the size of some of the internal components that do not contribute to energy storage. Some unfortunate side-effects of these structural changes are the malfunctions and meltdowns that occurred in a number of Samsung tablets in 2016.

Researchers and the technology industry are looking at Li-S batteries to eventually replace Li-ion because this new chemistry theoretically allows more energy to be packed into a single battery—a measure called “energy density” in battery research and development. This improved capacity, on the order of 5-10 times that of Li-ion batteries, equates to a longer run time for batteries between charges.

The problem is, Li-S batteries haven’t been able to maintain their superior capacity after the first few recharges. It turns out that the sulfur, which is the key ingredient for improved energy density, migrates away from the electrode in the form of intermediate products called polysulfides, leading to loss of this key ingredient and performance fade during recharges.

For years scientists have been trying to stabilize the reaction inside Li-S battery to physically contain these polysulfides, but most attempts have created other complications, such as adding weight or expensive materials to the battery or adding several complicated processing steps.

But a new approach, reported by researchers in Drexel’s College of Engineering in a recent edition of the American Chemical Society journal Applied Materials and Interfaces, entitled “TiO Phase Stabilized into Free-Standing Nanofibers as Strong Polysulfide Immobilizer in Li-S Batteries: Evidence for Lewis Acid-Base Interactions,” shows that it can hold polysulfides in place, maintaining the battery’s impressive stamina, while reducing the overall weight and the time required to produce them.

“We have created freestanding porous titanium monoxide nanofiber mat as a cathode host material in lithium-sulfur batteries,” said Vibha Kalra, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the College of Engineering and lead author of the research. “This is a significant development because we have found that our titanium monoxide-sulfur cathode is both highly conductive and able to bind polysulfides via strong chemical interactions, which means it can augment the battery’s specific capacity while preserving its impressive performance through hundreds of cycles. We can also demonstrate the complete elimination of binders and current collector on the cathode side that account for 30-50 percent of the electrode weight—and our method takes just seconds to create the sulfur cathode, when the current standard can take nearly half a day.”

Their findings suggest that the nanofiber mat, which at the microscopic level resembles a bird’s nest, is an excellent platform for the sulfur cathode because it attracts and traps the polysulfides that arise when the battery is being used. Keeping the polysulfides in the cathode structure prevents “shuttling,” a performance-sapping phenomenon that occurs when they dissolve in the electrolyte solution that separates cathode from anode in a battery. This cathode design can not only help Li-S battery maintain its energy density, but also do it without additional materials that increase weight and cost of production, according to Kalra.

To achieve these dual goals, the group has closely studied the reaction mechanisms and formation of polysulfides to better understand how an electrode host material could help contain them.

“This research shows that the presence of a strong Lewis acid-base interaction between the titanium monoxide and sulfur in the cathode prevents polysulfides from making their way into the electrolyte, which is the primary cause of the battery’s diminished performance,” said Arvinder Singh, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in Kalra’s lab who was an author of the paper.

This means their cathode design can help a Li-S battery maintain its energy density—and do it without additional materials that increase weight and cost of production, according to Kalra.

Kalra’s previous work with nanofiber electrodes has shown that they provide a variety of advantages over current battery components. They have a greater surface area than current electrodes, which means they can accommodate expansion during charging, which can boost the storage capacity of the battery. By filling them with an electrolyte gel, they can eliminate flammable components from devices minimizing their susceptibility to leaks, fires and explosions. They are created through an electrospinning process, that looks something like making cotton candy, this means they have an advantage over the standard powder-based electrodes which require the use of insulating and performance deteriorating “binder” chemicals in their production.

In tandem with its work to produce binder-free, freestanding cathode platforms to improve the performance of batteries, Kalra’s lab developed a rapid sulfur deposition technique that takes just five seconds to get the sulfur into its substrate. The procedure melts sulfur into the nanofiber mats in a slightly pressurized, 140-degree Celsius environment—eliminating the need for time-consuming processing that uses a mix of toxic chemicals, while improving the cathode’s ability to hold a charge after long periods of use.

“Our Li-S electrodes provide the right architecture and chemistry to minimize capacity fade during battery cycling, a key impediment in commercialization of Li-S batteries,” Kalra said. “Our research shows that these electrodes exhibit a sustained effective capacity that is four-times higher than the current Li-ion batteries. And our novel, low-cost method for sulfurizing the cathode in just seconds removes a significant impediment for manufacturing.”

Since Zephyr-6’s record-setting flight in 2008, many companies have invested in the development of Li-S batteries in hopes of increasing the range of electric cars, making mobile devices last longer between charges, and even helping the energy grid accommodate wind and solar power sources. Kalra’s work now provides a path for this battery technology to move past a number of impediments that have slowed its progress.

The group will continue to develop its Li-S cathodes with the goals of further improving cycle life, reducing the formation of polysulfides and decreasing cost.

SungEel MCC Americas (SMCC) is launching a new recycling site with a processing capacity of 5000 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries per year.

Leading chemical-based recycler of lithium-ion batteries SMCC has revealed its cutting-edge battery recycling centre will be located in New York. The plant is being established at the Huron Campus, formerly the IBM-Endicott facility.

Almost half of all end-of-life lithium-ion batterie are recovered and recycled in the European Union. However, the US recycles an estimated 5%, SMCC points out. The company says it will leverage over US$ 1.75 million in incentives from New York State and create over 100 research, engineering, and manufacturing jobs.

‘Thriving energy storage sector’

New York has made ‘incredible progress’ in energy storage technology in recent years, according to Danish Mir, SMCC President and chief operating officer of Metallica Commodities Corp. He comments: ‘We are excited to be at the forefront of lithium-ion battery recycling in the United States and to create quality, hi-tech, green jobs in our home state of New York.’

‘Throughout the Southern Tier, companies are finding innovative new uses for existing facilities,’ remarks Howard Zemsky, president and ceo, and Commissioner of Empire State Development. He is confident the recycling venture ‘will foster the supply of a product in high demand and expand the thriving energy storage industry in the region’.

A Kokam battery storage installation in South Korea. Image: Kokam.

An agreement to buy 75% of Korean battery manufacturer Kokam gives SolarEdge a level of vertical integration that could make the PV company a ‘one-stop-shop’ for customers, while SolarEdge could diversify into areas outside solar energy.

Lior Handelsman, VP of product strategy and marketing, spoke with Energy-Storage.news this morning about the acquisition, which was confirmed late last week. Handelsman said SolarEdge intends to acquire the remaining shares through the South Korean stock exchange, where they are currently listed.

SolarEdge bought its initial 75% majority stake for US$88 million, which Handelsman said was a “good and fair price”. Kokam, which produces lithium-ion cells and battery systems for applications which range from the aerospace and marine sectors to stationary storage systems for front-of-meter applications including frequency regulation, claims to have installed 700MWh of systems worldwide to date.

“It’s very exciting and I think transformational. Kokam is going to remain a separate company, they will be a SolarEdge division but we are keeping the name and the brand,” Handelsman said, adding that it was the Korean company’s track record in batteries – the company began working with lithium in the late 1980s – that was of primary interest.

“Even before participating in frequency regulation and FTM ESS, they are first and foremost a lithium cell manufacturer, very good cells. As we see storage becoming such a major part of solar in the future, of the grid and smart energy in general, we feel that we need to have a little bit more of an ‘insider track’ into the understanding of lithium cells and also access to lithium cells.”

According to Handelsman, Kokam’s activities in diverse areas unrelated to SolarEdge’s immediate interests are expected to continue to grow, while the battery company is active in Korea, Australia, the US, Japan and other markets, all of which the SolarEdge representative said were of interest, while SolarEdge’s spread across regional markets including the US, Japan and Europe could boost Kokam’s activities in those regions in turn.

Strategic and tactical motives for acquisition

A while ago, I blogged on the phenomenon, seen perhaps most prominently in the US, whereby the likes of Tesla and Vivint Solar are doing their best to offer a complete suite of solutions to their residential customers. Offering solar-plus-storage, electric vehicle chargers and other clean energy equipment to customers from one single provider is a tactic that could grow market share and retain customers over long relationships. SolarEdge, too, wants to offer a complete package.

“To look on the strategic value here: the acquisition positions us in a strategic way as a one-stop-shop smart energy solution provider, so not merely a power electronics inverter company but we will be able to deliver the whole system to our customers,” Handelsman said, adding that another side of the coin is that the other markets Kokam is active in could be the foundations of diversification for SolarEdge.

“We can and will, through Kokam, be able to sell lithium-ion cells and batteries for various markets, not just solar and not just energy. The strategy allows us to offer a one-stop-solution in our expanding markets – with the recent addition of VPP (virtual power plants) our market is even wider – and in diversifying activity out of solar, into the lithium-ion market which is an excellent market, fast-growing, successful market. That’s the strategic value.”

Along with that ‘strategic value’, the so-called ‘tactical value’ of the acquisition, Handelsman said, is that it gives the NASDAQ-listed company access to the lithium supply chain.

“What is going on in the energy storage market currently is driven by access to lithium cells. It gives SolarEdge a good position because we now have access to lithium-ion cells for some applications and markets. That’s one of the advantages and SolarEdge is [also] able to leverage its financial strength to invest in manufacturing and capacity – that’s one of the big advantages for Kokam. They are really an excellent company with excellent technologies, with access to the EV market, to the aerospace market and to stationary storage front-of-meter market access. I think it’s a very good acquisition.”

High energy density sodium ion batteries using Cobalt oxide plating are providing better performance than lithium ion batteries.

Sodium ion batteries (SIBs) have emerged as the most direct route to developing more cost effective and more sustainably produced metal-ion batteries due to their similarity in chemistry to Lithium ion batteries LIBs and the 1000× greater natural abundance of sodium in comparison to lithium.

A carbon nucleation layer to enable highly efficient and stable sodium plating and stripping as the basis for a new approach for sodium batteries: the anode-free sodium battery. The exceptional energy density of ∼400 Wh/kg and versatility of this approach that builds upon naturally abundant low-cost materials and aqueous processing is the first demonstration that sodium batteries have the promise of outperforming LIB technology and filling the desperately needed demand for a cost-effect, high-performance battery for grid-scale storage.

Electrochemical studies show this configuration to provide highly stable and efficient plating and stripping of sodium metal over a range of currents up to 5 mA/cm2, sodium loading up to 14 mAh/cm2, and with long-term endurance exceeding 1000 cycles at a current of 0.7 mA/cm2. Building upon this anode-free architecture, we demonstrate a full cell using a presodiated pyrite cathode to achieve energy densities of 400 Wh/kg, far surpassing recent reports on SIBs and even the theoretical maximum for LIB technology while still relying on naturally abundant raw materials and cost-effective aqueous processing.