Lithium-Ion battery recycling for solvent extraction

Lithium-Ion battery recycling is becoming increasing important as from 2021 to 2030 lithium-ion batteries’ global production is expected to grow by 5x to 5,500 GWh, with EV batteries making up nearly 80% of all lithium-ion batteries produced¹.

This rapid growth is creating opportunities and challenges for the complete supply chain, from raw material suppliers to EV battery manufacturers and recyclers. There are significant market pressures to increase production capacities, streamline logistics and optimize costs of critical raw materials such as Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel and Manganese in order to serve the developing global EV market.

ExxonMobil can support raw material suppliers, EV battery manufacturers and recyclers in their efforts to produce, recover and recycle Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel and Manganese via solvent extraction processes.

Solvent extraction (SX) battery recycling can enable +90% recovery of the rare metals at +95% purity with cost-effective capital investments, high material selectivity, low energy consumption and without toxic fumes when compared to other recovery processes^2,3.

ExxonMobil has a long history as a leading supplier of diluents for solvent extraction with its Escaid diluents. To learn more about the use of our fluids in solvent extraction mining click here.

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Fact sheet

Do you know you can extract metals from used lithium-ion batteries?

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Recycling of used lithium-ion battery

90+% metal recovery rates
95+% purity
40% faster separation speed

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Customer Highlight:

Ganzhou Highpower Technology, a company leader in EV battery recycling shared “…We are very satisfied with the results of Escaid fluids. We’ve used Escaid 110 since 2014. It has provided better performance from safety, environmental protection and cost perspectives compared with other products. It is recommended in solvent metal extraction…”

Escaid™ diluents are an excellent choice for solvent extraction processes because they help support efficient recovery, contribute to a safer working environment with less environmental impact and enable global scalability of operations. Escaid™ 110 fluid presents fewer GHS hazards than high-flash kerosene, without compromising performance.⁴.

With the escalating prices for these rare metals, lithium ion battery manufacturing operations generating up to 40% new scrap and with forecasts of up to 2Million Tons of used batteries eligible for recycling by 2030¹, solvent extraction and Escaid diluents offer an attractive value proposition to increase recovery rates and purity of recovered materials in support of the EV value chain.

Contact ExxonMobil to learn more and try out our Escaid diluents.

Key benefits

Efficient recovery
Minimal diluent and extractant with consistent performance
Contributes to a safer working environment with lower environmental impact
150% higher occupational exposure limit and lower environmental impact than high flash kerosene¹⁰
Global scalability
Enabling quick global ramp up of operations and quality consistency

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High-performance metal extraction diluents for lithium-ion battery recycling with sustainability benefits
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Battery recycling*: waste is not the end, but the beginning
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From the copper mines of Chile to mining sites around the world, Escaid™ diluents offer excellent solutions for the effective extraction of valuable metals.
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A pioneer of innovation
Did you know that the inventor of the rechargeable lithium-ion battery received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2019? Or that he was working in ExxonMobil’s Clinton research lab when he created the first examples? Learn about the inventor of this technological revolution.
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^* Recyclable in communities with programs and facilities in place collect and recycle lithium-ion batteries.

¹ Source: Global lithium-ion battery capacity to rise five-fold by 2030. Wood Mackenzie.
² Source: Chagnesa A., Pospiech B. (2013). A brief review on hydrometallurgical technologies for recycling spent lithium-ion batteries. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology. 88: 1191-1199.
³ Source: C. Curry, C. McKerracher (2016). Lithium-ion battery recycling: processes and prospects. Advanced Transport- Research Note. Bloomberg Finance.
⁴ Source: ExxonMobil Fact Sheet: High-performance metal extraction diluents for lithium-ion battery recycling with sustainability benefits. 2022.
⁵ Source: A. Vanderbruggen, M. Rudolph. (2020). Recovery of spheroidized graphite from spent lithium ion batteries. Advanced Automotive Battery Conference Europe.
⁶ Source: M. McGingley. (2016). Odor Evaluation Report No. 1620802. Solvent Odor Evaluation Comparisons. St. Croix Sensory.
⁷ Source: Calzada, M. et al. (2011). Comparison of low aromatic and traditional hydrocarbon extraction diluents in copper production. International Solvent Extraction Conference. Conference proceedings.
⁸ Source: Flett, D. S, D. W. West. (1986). The cobalt catalysed oxidation of solvent extraction diluents. International Solvent Extraction Conference. Preprints. Vol. 2.
⁹ Source: Frost & Sullivan. Global growth opportunities for Advanced Lithium Batteries for EVs and the adoption of future battery chemistries. July 2022.
¹⁰ Compared to high flash kerosene. See “Improving worker safety and comfort”- Occupational Exposure Limit and “Lowering health and environmental risk”- Maximum Incremental Reactivity” tables in “Escaid battery recycling fact sheet”.