Ascend Elements, a vertically integrated battery materials company will begin producing over 99% pure, sustainable lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃) recovered from used lithium-ion batteries at its facility in Covington, Ga, starting in 2025. The company aims to produce up to 3,000 metric tons of sustainable, domestic Li₂CO₃ annually. Currently, recycled Li₂CO₃ is not produced at a commercial scale in the United States, with the only other domestic source being a mining operation in Nevada.
“This is the first new, domestic source of lithium carbonate in the 21st Century,” said Eric Gratz, co-founder and CTO of Ascend Elements. “This new domestic supply of a critical battery material will help U.S. industries meet growing demand while avoiding the possibility of tariffs on imported materials.”
Li₂CO₃ is essential for manufacturing advanced batteries used in grid-scale energy storage, electric vehicles, boats, and aircraft.According to Gratz, Ascend Elements’ innovative lithium recovery process generates significantly lower carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional methods like mining and brine extraction.
The company’s process produces just 2.27 kg of CO₂ emissions per 1 kg of Li₂CO₃ produced. In comparison, spodumene mining emits approximately 16.7 kg of CO₂ per 1 kg of Li₂CO₃, and Chilean brine extraction produces about 3.6 kg of CO₂ per 1 kg of Li₂CO₃. These preliminary figures are from a life cycle assessment that has yet to undergo critical review.
“To put this in perspective, our current process of lithium extraction from used lithium-ion batteries is about 86% less carbon-intensive compared to spodumene mining and 37% less carbon-intensive compared to Chilean brine extraction,” Gratz said.
The Covington facility is one of North America’s largest lithium-ion battery recycling plants. Operational since August 2022, the plant has the capacity to recycle up to 30,000 metric tons of lithium-ion battery materials per year, equivalent to approximately 70,000 electric vehicle battery packs annually.
Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Massachusetts, Ascend Elements is a leading provider of sustainable, closed-loop battery material solutions. Beyond battery recycling, the company produces sustainable lithium-ion battery materials, including Li₂CO₃, NMC pCAM, and NMC cathode active material (CAM) made from recycled battery components. Ascend Elements’ patented Hydro-to-Cathode® direct precursor synthesis technology efficiently produces new cathode material from spent lithium-ion cells, resulting in improved economics and reduced carbon emissions.
Source: PR Newswire
