Licovolt and Pure Battery Technologies Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Sustainable Battery Material Production for EV Industry
Licovolt, a University College Dublin (UCD) spin-out, and Pure Battery Technologies (PBT), headquartered in Australia, today announced the signing of a joint development agreement that aims to transform the production of sustainable battery materials for the electric vehicle (EV) industry.
Licovolt has developed a unique and new way of recycling spent lithium-cobalt batteries at a fraction of the cost and CO2 emissions of current methods.
Situated at the heart of Europe's EV manufacturing hub, PBT’s refinery in Hagen, Germany, currently produces about 2,000 tonnes of nickel products annually. Plans are underway to expand operations with a new state-of-the-art refinery expansion to produce up to 12,000 tonnes per annum of high-quality precursor Cathode Active Material (pCAM).
Using innovative, green technology, PBT refines raw materials such as Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate (MHP) and recycled battery black mass into clean, high-grade pCAM for lithium-ion batteries.
Licovolt’s advanced technology, which processes novel precursor materials to produce both Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) and Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) CAM, offers a seamless and complementary addition to PBT’s existing flow-sheet.
The strategic collaboration announced today strengthens the supply chain for sustainable battery materials, advancing the development of clean energy solutions and supports the global transition to electrification.
Clint Zahmel, Executive Director, Licovolt said, “The Licovolt team are excited to be working with PBT, leveraging their operating facility and hard-earned raw material supply and off-take relationships. Licovolt’s agreement with PBT has the potential to springboard Licovolt’s technology as well as provide a valuable addition to PBT’s facilities. We look forward to working with the team at PBT.”
Clint Zahmel, Executive Director, Licovolt
Bjorn Zikarsky, CEO, PBT said, “Licovolt’s technology presents an exciting potential addition to PBT’s flow-sheet and PBT’s existing and expanded facilities. PBT and Licovolt have a great team of people and importantly have the ability to rapidly scale Licovolt’s technology given our operating facility in Hagen.”
Licovolt was co-founded by UCD scientists, Associate Professor Tony Keene, UCD School of Chemistry and Associate Professor Steven Ferguson, UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, with the support of NovaUCD.
ENDS
29 January 2025
For further information contact Micéal Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, UCD Research and Innovation, NovaUCD, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie or Clint Zahmel, Licovolt, e: clint@licovolt.com.
Editors Notes
For further information about Licovolt visit https://licovolt.com/
For further information about Pure Battery Technologies visit https://purebatterytech.com/