Initiatives and Case Studies
Licovolt – Driving Electric Vehicle Batteries into the Circular Economy
Born from a chance scientific discovery at University College Dublin, the Licovolt project is pushing circular innovation in the battery industry. Committed to sustainability, Licovolt is exploring a new, environmentally friendly solution to accelerate Ireland’s circular transition. Recently, Licovolt has joined forces with Australian-German partner-based, Pure Battery Technologies, paving the way for a revolution in sustainable battery production for the electric vehicle industry.
Partner Initiative / Micro-enterprise / SME / Batteries / Recover / Recycle
Key Points
- The Licovolt project aims to incorporate batteries into the circular economy to accommodate the push towards electric vehicles across EU Member States’ Climate Action Plans.
- Licovolt technology is a novel chemical compound and associated process used to extract lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese from spent battery material at a fraction of the cost and associated emissions of current industry methods.
- Licovolt’s aim is to be able to process lithium-ion battery materials within Ireland, using an environmentally friendly process, in the same location, eliminating the need for global transportation to be able to complete the recycling process.
- By making the recovery of critical raw materials faster and more sustainable, Licovolt has the potential to accelerate a just transition for all, while strengthening Ireland’s position in the future of green energy.
Summary
The Licovolt project started, as many experiments do, with a chance discovery in the laboratory at University College Dublin. This discovery could change the battery recycling industry forever. The process recycles waste battery products into a novel material that can then be transformed into fresh lithium-ion cathodes to be used in new batteries. This has been widely recognised as a major step forward in incorporating batteries into the circular economy and addressing recycling supply chain risks.
Licovolt’s process requires lower energy consumption and has a quick turnaround time for producing lithium-ion battery cathodes, compared to current industry rates. It also allows the process to be conducted on one site, eliminating associated emissions with transportation and logistics. They aim to continue to work with both industry stakeholders and academics to make Ireland’s first fully green battery, proving that the transition to electric vehicles can be sustainable.
These changes in laboratory practices could lead to a decrease in battery prices, resulting in cheaper electric vehicle alternatives, lower carbon emissions, and reduced inequality in critical raw materials supply chains, reducing Ireland’s dependency on the developing world. The Irish government has set a target of 845,000 private electric vehicles and 95,000 commercial electric vehicles by 2030. The European Commission has stated its goal of creating a circular continent through critical raw materials recycling, under the Clean Industrial Deal.
Recently, the EU also imple
mented end-of-life battery requirements, including collection and recovery targets, in order to drive climate action and address supply chain vulnerabilities. This has resulted in doubled recovery targets for lithium and doubling the increase in the use of recycled materials in future production.
Licovolt recently announced its strategic partnership with Australian-German partner Pure Battery Technologies to continue its transformation of battery production. Pure Battery Technologies has a battery refinery in Hagen, Germany, where they currently produce around 2,000 tonnes of nickel products annually. Using green technology, Pure Battery Technologies refines raw materials such as Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate (MHP) and recycled battery black mass into clean, high-grade pCAM for lithium-ion batteries. In addition to this, Licovolt processes novel precursor materials to produce Lithium Cobalt Oxide and nickel manganese Cobalt CAM which complements the existing flows of Pure Battery Technologies European-based activities.
WEEE Ireland’s Head of Battery Operations participated as a societal champion and recycling expert for the original LiCoRICE project, ahead of the Licovolt development.
Contact
CO-Founders of Licovolt:
- Dr Tony Keene, University College Dublin
- Dr Steven Ferguson, University College Dublin
For more information on this initiative, please contact:
- Micéal Whelan (Communications and Media Relations Manager at NovaUCD) – miceal.whelan@ucd.ie
- Clint Zahmel (Licovolt) – clint@licovolt.com