Reducing Lithium and Nickel Demand in Manufacturing

𝗗𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗗 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 - 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗦𝗲𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘀 New #BatteryTechnologies that don't need deep sea metals are already replacing today’s lithium nickel manganese cobalt (NMC/Li-NMC) #batteries. A major technical substitution to Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP) batteries from NMC is also occurring right now. The pace is accelerating: China's BYD new vehicles use it exclusively. (Their price point is so good that 50-100% tariffs are being slapped on them because they are perceived as a threat to US domestic producers using more expensive NMC batteries). This rapid replacement of NMC batteries is reflected in market prices: #cobalt prices down 30% in 24 months and #nickel prices flatlining. #cobaltfree LFP batteries are increasingly coming on market* led by Tesla and BYD (the 2 largest EV manufacturers). ~90% of BYD’s domestic market cars use #LFP batteries without any deep sea metals. Tesla, as a US tech leader and big volume driver, have not used metals marketed by deep sea miners in 50% of their cars since '22. Their Powerwall 3 batteries will be LFP. Ford Motor Company and #VW are also planning to use LFP. #CATL, China’s biggest battery manufacturer, is also set to reduce the cost per kWh of its LFP cells by 50% by mid- year, paving the way for lower cost electric cars. As the IEA graph below shows, LFP is rapidly substituting NMC batteries explaining the drop in nickel and continued decline in cobalt prices. Aside from LFP, #SolidState and #sodium only batteries can offer a lot of the performance advantages at lower cost over traditional cobalt, nickel and manganese-based lithium-ion batteries if they reduce the amount of DSM mineral – which they mostly do. QuantumScape is an example of a manufacturer who holds a joint venture with VW and expects to fully commercialise their batteries by 2025. Technologies based on sodium are rising: #SodiumIon is another technology adopted by CATL + 30 other companies worldwide including Clarios Norton energy in the USA. Similarly they offer performance upsides at a lower cost; #SodiumSulphur is another technology developed in Australia that could also be a game changer. New non-DSM potential innovations to extract minerals exist: cobalt could be extracted from #SeaWater via #PassiveAbsorption. MIT 2019 research found modifying 76 Gulf of Mexico unused oil rigs could extract over 25% of USA’s 2017 consumption of cobalt. As well as battery technologies, many recycling and circular economy models are supported by the market, boosted by tax incentives and policies, especially in Europe and USA. Finally, minerals demand models vary widely, and a metals study commissioned by the International Seabed Authority itself found exhaustion of key minerals is NOT on the horizon. (see my previous posts below) *https://lnkd.in/e8mJSeXq, https://lnkd.in/e7Y-YEPc

Innovating Beyond Lithium: AI's Role in Pioneering Next-Gen Batteries As the world grows increasingly reliant on lithium for everything from mobile phones to electric vehicles, the challenges associated with its supply and environmental impact are becoming more apparent. Addressing this, Microsoft and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are leading a project that could change the future of battery technology. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐮𝐦? Lithium, while efficient and powerful, poses significant geopolitical, economic, and environmental challenges. Its extraction is energy-intensive, and reserves are concentrated in just a few countries, which could lead to supply disruptions. Moreover, the growing demand is pushing researchers to seek sustainable and less problematic alternatives. 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐈 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-based high-performance computing (HPC), the teams at Microsoft and PNNL have joined forces to innovate battery technology. AI's capability to process and analyze vast datasets has enabled the identification of potential alternatives to lithium with speed and accuracy. The collaboration has led to a discovery - a battery that substitutes about half of the lithium atoms with sodium. This not only reduces reliance on lithium but also leverages sodium’s abundance and cost-effectiveness. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲: >> Massive Material Screening: Starting with a list of 32 million potential materials, AI helped narrow down the list to 18 promising candidates. >> Refined Criteria: Further refinement using more stringent screening criteria, recommended by material scientists at PNNL, pinpointed a viable candidate for testing. >> Experimental Success: The substitution approach was validated experimentally, marking a significant step towards a more sustainable battery technology. This initiative not only exemplifies the power of AI in accelerating material discovery but also highlights a sustainable pathway for battery manufacturing that could lessen environmental impact and reduce geopolitical tensions. 🤔 How do you see AI transforming other industries with similar resource challenges? What implications does this development have for the future of energy storage and electric vehicles? #innovation #technology #future #management #startups

ICYMI: The Disordered Rock Salt (DRX) Consortium, led by Berkeley Lab is focused on making DRX cathodes made of manganese or titanium, which are both more abundant and cheaper than nickel or cobalt. Lithium #batteries made with DRX cathodes could safeguard the automobile industry and therefore consumers from higher prices spurred by supply constraints. Formed in fall 2022, the Consortium has a goal of demonstrating commercial-ready DRX cathodes in less than 5 years. 50 scientists aim to develop DRX battery cathodes that could perform just as well if not better than the NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) cathodes used in today’s lithium-ion batteries. Researchers at the Department of Energy’s National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) will help the team narrow down the best combination of manganese and titanium through computer modeling. Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory will work on chemical synthesis and scale up the materials for industry. New DRX-compatible electrolytes will be developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. And researchers from Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and UC Santa Barbara will assist with materials characterization. #CriticalMinerals #innovation🔋🇺🇲 https://lnkd.in/eKmCRgRx

This article from The Verge highlights an often overlooked issue in the EV battery industry - human rights. It provides an enlightening snapshot of the realities of sourcing certain metals, like cobalt, manganese, nickel (NMC), and lithium to name a few. Sourcing these materials has seen a marked increase in labor rights violations and worker deaths. We have to find a better way to hit the electrification goals that will be absolutely necessary to approach net zero goals. My take? This article focuses on changes that could benefit those who are working in these conditions. Those are clearly necessary and the more transparency we have into these abuses the better. Transparency is one of the greatest tools of change. But I'd like to offer an additional point. How about we focus on eliminating our need for these mined minerals all together. Market demand is a powerful tool. Emerging technologies are rapidly creating alternatives to mining. Sulfur as a battery cathode material eliminates the need for nickel, manganese, and cobalt. Rapid expansion in direct lithium extraction from brines could dramatically reduce our need from lithium mining. Advancements in recycling are slowly chipping away at the need for new battery minerals. I might be an eternal optimist, but the human rights challenges of moving to a cleaner economy is another strong motivation to invest in energy technological breakthroughs. https://lnkd.in/gKn3epri #Lyten #LithiumSulfur #EV #Battery #Sustainability

The recycling of EV batteries means that instead of mining more lithium, nickel and other metals from the ground, we can keep reusing the supplies we already have. Researchers have estimated that, by 2040, over half the demand for lithium and nickel for these batteries could be supplied by recycling. If recycling takes off, the benefits could be significant. According to a 2024 International Energy Agency (IEA) report, greater recycling of critical minerals could reduce the need for new mining by as much as 40% by mid-century. The IEA notes that many governments are creating policies to encourage recycling. For instance, in 2023 the European Union introduced a new Battery Regulation, which will introduce increasingly stringent requirements for "recycling efficiency, material recovery and recycled content", beginning in 2025. This isn't just about being environmentally friendly: there are also geopolitical motivations. In the last 20 years, the international order of things has significantly destabilized, with shocks such as Brexit and the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump impacting global trade and international cooperation. Countries that are overly dependent on imports of critical supplies face significant risks in this new world. https://lnkd.in/eDM2hhab