Europe accelerates research and development of sustainable battery processing technology -Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment
Europe does not intend to throw the recycling battery processing technology alone to Asia, but intends to establish its own processing chain. As part of the Si-DRIVE project, a consortium of research institutes and industrial companies is developing the corresponding technology. The Technical Academy in Karlsruhe and the Helmholz Institute are in this context developing new battery concepts that will be sustainable and based entirely on ecological and economical considerations of a non-critical material.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
About 90% of lithium-ion batteries are currently processed in Asia. However, Europe is building its own battery processing plants in various ways. Si-DRIVE aims to develop a battery consisting of a nanostructured silicon anode, a new solid electrolyte based on ionic liquids and a completely cobalt-free but lithium-rich cathode by 2030.
"What makes this project so special is that we overturned as much as possible all steps of the battery chain, from material development to prototype battery processing and recycling," says HIU Director Prof. Stefanopasserini. His research group is developing a new and cobalt-free cathode material that contains non-critical elements such as iron or aluminum. Due to the scarcity of cobalt, which is listed as a key raw material by the European Commission (European Commission), and difficult to obtain geopolitically (territorial form according to geographical factors and political landscape), this may lead to supply bottlenecks. Furthermore, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo this element is sometimes extracted using child labor and inhumane methods. "Compared to conventional materials, we expect to significantly increase the amount of lithium in the cathode coating, resulting in a significant increase in energy density," Passerini said.
The five partners will also study its closed-loop economy concept for further use. In this case, the "younger" batteries of electric vehicles can be grouped together as stationary storage units. The anode and electrolyte concepts also follow this sustainability concept in order to eventually achieve a recycling rate of more than 50%. The nanostructure of the anode achieves its ultra-long stability by designing a high-quality load.
Modeling is used to optimize the anode structure to buffer volume expansion and mechanical deformation as much as possible while maintaining maximum energy density. The newly developed solid electrolyte is based on ionic liquids and has higher stability, higher safety and lower flammability under high pressure.
The project is funded by the European Technology Approach to Research and Innovation "Horizon 2020" programme, which brings together activities from 17 scientific and industrial categories in eight countries.
About 90% of lithium-ion batteries are currently processed in Asia. However, Europe is building its own battery processing plants in various ways. Si-DRIVE aims to develop a battery consisting of a nanostructured silicon anode, a new solid electrolyte based on ionic liquids and a completely cobalt-free but lithium-rich cathode by 2030.
"What makes this project so special is that we overturned as much as possible all steps of the battery chain, from material development to prototype battery processing and recycling," says HIU Director Prof. Stefanopasserini. His research group is developing a new and cobalt-free cathode material that contains non-critical elements such as iron or aluminum. Due to the scarcity of cobalt, which is listed as a key raw material by the European Commission (European Commission), and difficult to obtain geopolitically (territorial form according to geographical factors and political landscape), this may lead to supply bottlenecks. Furthermore, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo this element is sometimes extracted using child labor and inhumane methods. "Compared to conventional materials, we expect to significantly increase the amount of lithium in the cathode coating, resulting in a significant increase in energy density," Passerini said.
The five partners will also study its closed-loop economy concept for further use. In this case, the "younger" batteries of electric vehicles can be grouped together as stationary storage units. The anode and electrolyte concepts also follow this sustainability concept in order to eventually achieve a recycling rate of more than 50%. The nanostructure of the anode achieves its ultra-long stability by designing a high-quality load.
Modeling is used to optimize the anode structure to buffer volume expansion and mechanical deformation as much as possible while maintaining maximum energy density. The newly developed solid electrolyte is based on ionic liquids and has higher stability, higher safety and lower flammability under high pressure.
The project is funded by the European Technology Approach to Research and Innovation "Horizon 2020" programme, which brings together activities from 17 scientific and industrial categories in eight countries.
