The race to expand electric vehicle production is on, but how will we keep up? X-BATT is perfecting the technology to incorporate recycled or contaminated materials from electric vehicle or consumer electronic lithium-ion batteries into high-performance anode composites. This includes graphite and other materials that have reached end of life or come from production scrap that can be reintegrated back into the supply chain.
The Department of Energy awarded Semplastics, the advanced materials technology company behind X-BATT, over $200K to develop novel high-capacity composite anodes for the upcycling of spent graphite from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. This is the second big win for the battery recycling division, after recently receiving an Issued Patent for their battery materials recycling technology.
“Battery recycling is the only option,” said Bill Easter, CEO of X-BATT and Semplastics. “The demand and production of EVs is growing, the minerals needed for battery production are diminishing and proven difficult for the U.S. to get their hands on – so we developed technology to solve this by re-using what we have.”
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced Semplastics as part of 259 Department of Energy grants totaling $53 million to 210 small businesses in 38 states. The awards include projects relating to particle accelerators and fusion technology, applied nanoscience, quantum information applications, and dark matter research along with a wide range of other efforts.
“Supporting small businesses will ensure we are tapping into all of America’s talent to develop clean energy technologies that will help us tackle the climate crisis,” said Steve Binkley, Acting Director of the DOE’s Office of Science. “DOE’s investments will enable these economic engines to optimize and commercialize their breakthroughs, while developing the next generation of science leaders and ensuring U.S. scientific and economic competitiveness that will benefit all Americans.”
Each year, demand for lithium-ion batteries is expected to grow by 25 percent resulting in 14x growth by 2030. X-BATT® revolutionary discovery can help meet this demand in an eco-friendlier way. Through the use of recycled materials, this technology could also lead to a domestic source for anode material, helping the United States reduce reliance on foreign countries for the critical materials necessary to support the increased demand for electrification.