A breakthrough in battery recycling helps enable the green transition
Graphmatech, Graphenea, and Northvolt have succeeded in up-cycling end-of-life EV batteries into graphene oxide at industrial pilot scale. This breakthrough uses the material left after Northvolt has extracted valuable metals and minerals. Until now, that remaining material has been waste.
Emma Nehrenheim, Chief Environmental Officer of Northvolt, comments: “The upcycling of graphene oxide from recycled batteries represents a great development in our pursuit of a sustainable battery industry in Europe. Batteries contain an abundance of valuable materials which we can recover to reduce our dependence on mining and producing fresh materials. We are proud to have contributed to this development.”
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Northvolt has supported Graphmatech by optimizing its recycling process at Northvolt Labs recycling plant to obtain a feed of graphite-based material for Graphmatech of sufficient purity to enable upcycling into graphene oxide.
Graphene oxide is a strategic material that European companies often source from outside the region. Graphmatech and Graphena will now scale up production to deliver an ample European supply of graphene oxide.
Graphmatech uses modified graphene oxide in materials and products it delivers to support the green transition, including hydrogen pressure vessels and pipes that leak 40% less hydrogen than current technology.
Modified graphene oxide can be added to metals to create materials which are more conductive, stronger and tougher than alternatives, whilst reducing metal consumption, making it an attractive and useful material within the green transition.
“Producing graphene oxide from end-of-life batteries makes the entire graphene value chain more sustainable and cost effective,” comments Jesus de la Fuente, CEO of Graphenea Advanced Materials.
Mamoun Taher, CEO of Graphmatech, says “Securing our supply chain in collaboration with Northvolt and Graphenea is a dream come true. We’ll enable the green transition with recycled batteries.”
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Mamoun Taher
mamoun.taher@graphmatech.com
+46 73 551 30 54
About Northvolt
Northvolt is a European supplier of sustainable, high-quality battery cells and systems. Founded in 2016 to enable the European transition to a decarbonized future, the company has made swift progress on its mission to deliver the world’s greenest lithium-ion battery with a minimal CO2 footprint and has grown to over 3,000 people from over 100 different nationalities.
Northvolt has to date secured more than $50 billion worth of contracts from key customers, including BMW, Fluence, Scania, Volkswagen, Volvo Cars, and Polestar, to support its plans, which include establishing recycling capabilities to enable 50 percent of all its raw material requirements to be sourced from recycled batteries by 2030.
About Graphenea
Graphenea is a technology company created in 2010 specialized in the production of graphene oxide and CVD graphene, it has clients in more than 60 countries and offices in San Sebastián (Spain) and Boston (USA). Through research and innovation, Graphenea supports its customers by producing new forms of graphene from graphene field effect transistor chips to graphene oxides, whilst maintaining its leadership in the expanding graphene production sector. Graphenea Advanced Materials has a mission to transform industrial sectors with their graphene-based additives that create added value and increase the performance of materials.
About Graphmatech
Graphmatech AB delivers patented next-generation materials to support the green transition. The company is best known for its metals for electrification, polymers for the hydrogen economy, conductive polymers for 3D printing and graphene additives for batteries. Founded as a spinout from Uppsala University in 2017, Graphmatech is a privately held Swedish company with a diverse team spanning eight nationalities. Find out more at www.graphmatech.com