- Toray's new membrane recovers over 95% lithium from used batteries.
- The technology targets lithium-ion batteries, including nickel-cobalt and lithium iron phosphate types.
- The membrane is highly acid-resistant, filtering sulfuric acid leachate from black mass.
- Ministry of Environment-funded projects in 2023 aided this technological breakthrough.
Introduction
Toray Industries has developed a scalable nanofiltration membrane technology to efficiently recover high-purity lithium from used automotive lithium-ion batteries. This innovation addresses the limitations of conventional recycling processes, which often discard significant amounts of lithium.
Technological Advancements
The new membrane is designed to handle the highly acidic sulfuric acid leachate used to extract metals from end-of-life batteries. It offers enhanced acid resistance, making it suitable for filtering black mass produced during battery recycling. This development enables the recovery of lithium from various battery types, including nickel-cobalt and lithium iron phosphate.
Recovery Process
Toray's membrane technology selectively separates and recovers lithium, achieving recovery rates exceeding 95% in laboratory-scale demonstrations. The company has leveraged its expertise in organic synthesis, polymer chemistry, and nanotechnology to mass-produce these membrane elements, facilitating their use in practical recycling applications.
Future Deployment
Toray is working to strengthen its supply structure to deploy this technology both in Japan and internationally. The company's breakthrough was supported by Ministry of Environment-funded projects in 2023, which aimed to optimize renewable energy-related products and establish a domestic closed-loop recycling system.
