US lithium-ion battery recycling firm Aqua Metals has produced cathode active material (CAM) from domestically sourced, recycled nickel.
Aqua Metals recovered high-purity nickel from spent lithium-ion batteries and battery manufacturing scrap using its AquaRefining process. The company refined the recycled nickel into battery-grade nickel nitrate. One of its manufacturing partners then used a low-carbon, waste-reducing process to convert the nickel nitrate material into battery-grade CAM while eliminating sodium sulfate production.
A Tier 1 lithium battery manufacturer is currently evaluating the CAM. Initial testing has shown that the recycled nickel CAM meets industry-standard chemical and electrochemical specifications set by the battery manufacturer,…