Calling its new process “an exciting step forward,” Dragonfly Energy Holdings Corp.’s director of research and development unveiled a new lithium battery cell.
The cell was created using high-purity lithium hydroxide recovered by Aqua Metals, a lithium battery recycling company. Dragonfly turned the recycled lithium-ion batteries into a lithium-based battery cell using its dry battery electrode coating technology.
“This is an exciting step forward for the emerging lithium battery industry, as we have qualified the high-purity lithium hydroxide Aqua Metals recovers from recycled lithium batteries to manufacture new battery cells,” said Dr. Vick Singh, Dragonfly’s director of research and development. “This is yet another way Dragonfly continues to develop energy storage solutions with widespread applications using sustainable measures.”
The company said the successful recovery of battery-grade lithium hydroxide and cycle testing of a sustainably manufactured lithium battery cell is a significant advancement for sustainable lithium-ion battery production for the companies.
“The process demonstrates a potential path towards a more circular and sustainable lithium battery manufacturing industry that addresses the finite and costly nature of battery materials,” the company said.
Aqua Metals recovers high-purity lithium hydroxide from lithium-ion battery “black mass,” the industry term for the metallic mixture of crushed and shredded end-of-life battery cells that contain valuable minerals, including lithium. Aqua Metals provided this high-purity lithium hydroxide to Dragonfly Energy, where it was used in the production of a standard CR2032 cell.
Aqua Metals President and CEO Steve Cotton said: “This is an exciting milestone for us in establishing the efficacy of our sustainable recycling process and affirming that our high-purity recovered material is battery grade and of equal quality to virgin mined material—with a much lower carbon and waste footprint. Dragonfly Energy is at the forefront of manufacturing high-performance lithium batteries, and we believe our continued collaboration is demonstrating why building a circular supply chain for critical minerals in Nevada is integral to our clean energy future.”
