Ascend Elements, EcoPro Group partner to supply recycled battery materials to EV industry

Ascend Elements, a Massachusetts-based battery recycling and engineered materials company, and EcoPro Group, a South Korean battery materials company, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreement to cooperate in the development, qualification and integration of recycled battery materials into EcoPro's cathode products.  

According to a news release from Ascend Elements, the company will provide recycled battery materials to EcoPro Group, creating a closed-loop electric vehicle (EV) battery supply in North America. EcoPro will convert the material into battery-ready, high-performance cathode active material (CAM) for its battery manufacturing clients.  

EcoPro says it is a CAM supplier to some of the largest EV battery manufacturers in North America. Ascend Elements recycles EV batteries and battery manufacturing scrap from many sources, including the SK Battery America facility in Commerce, Georgia. Beyond EV battery recycling, Ascend Elements also transforms recycled batteries and manufacturing scrap into new, sustainable cathode precursors.   

"This is one of the first North American examples of a truly circular battery economy," says Michael O'Kronley, CEO of Ascend Elements. "Currently, battery manufacturing scrap is the largest source of lithium-ion battery materials available for recycling. We're not only recycling this scrap material and keeping it out of landfills, but we're also elevating the value of the material by engineering it to meet EcoPro's precise specifications."  

"Creating a circular economy by recycling the materials from scrap batteries is extremely important in our quest for sustainability,” Sangwook Park, strategic planning vice president of EcoPro. “By closing the loop to reuse the materials for new cathode active materials production is the key component for a greener future. Partnering with Ascend Elements, beginning in 2023, for pretreatment of upstream materials in North America is a step closer to achieving our goals.”  

Ascend says by using recycled battery materials instead of newly mined materials, battery manufacturers can significantly reduce the climate impact of EV battery manufacturing. Additionally, cathode precursor made in the United States from recycled lithium-ion batteries is considered a domestic source of battery materials under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.  

Ascend Elements uses its Hydro-to-Cathode direct precursor synthesis process to transform black mass into sustainable, high-performance precursor and CAM that rival or exceed the performance of cathode materials made with virgin metals. The process can recover up to 98 percent of critical battery elements with lower carbon emissions compared with traditional cathode manufacturing methods.  

The company recently announced plans to invest up to $1 billion to build a sustainable lithium-ion battery materials facility in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The company says the manufacturing facility, known as Apex 1, will produce enough lithium-ion battery precursor and sustainable CAM to equip up to 250,000 electric vehicles annually.