Diversified battery anode materials company EcoGraf Limited, Australia and Germany, (ASX: EGR; FSE: FMK; OTCQX: ECGFF) has announced the results of the EcoGraf™ HFfree purification of a lithium-ion anode cell production scrap sample from SungEel Hitech Co. Ltd., Korea.
The result is a significant achievement, with the purification process upgrading the material to 99.98% carbon and reducing impurities to minimum levels, whilst retaining the original physical characteristics. These results are in line with major lithium-ion battery manufacturer specifications.
The carbon anode cell production sample that was purified is representative of production anode scrap materials from lithium-ion battery cell manufacture. Battery manufacturers currently generate several thousand tonnes of this material per annum, which is expected to increase significantly with the adoption of EV’s.
SungEel will now submit the purified product to the South Korean lithium-ion battery manufacturer for battery cell tests and evaluation to assess the potential to recycle this material back into the supply chain. This purified carbon anode material is a high value finished product, which is comprised of both natural and synthetic graphite, and by weight, represents over half the contained raw materials of a lithium-ion battery. The recovery and recycling provides significant benefits to battery manufacturers, including lowering of battery unit costs and a reduction in carbon emissions.
SungEel is one of the largest lithium-ion battery recycling groups in Asia. EcoGraf is working closely with SungEel to include a tailored EcoGraf™ recycling process in their proposed new South Korean and European recycling plants to suppoort SungEel ecofriendly process and provide a total recycling solution for lithium-ion batteries.
These results, together with previous positive customer feedback, supports the decision for the engineering design for a containerized modular pilot plant facility, which is expected to be completed shortly.