Ascend Elements, a vertically integrated battery materials company, will begin producing >99% pure, sustainable lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) recovered from used lithium-ion batteries at its facility in Covington, Ga. in 2025. The company plans to produce up to 3,000 metric tons of sustainable, domestic Li2CO3 per year. Currently, recycled Li2CO3 is not produced at a commercial scale anywhere in the United States. The only other domestic source of Li2CO3 is from a mining operation in Nevada.
鈥淭his is the first new, domestic source of lithium carbonate in the 21st Century,鈥� said Eric Gratz, co-founder and CTO of Ascend Elements. 鈥淭his 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.鈥�
Li2CO3 is used to make advanced batteries for grid-scale energy storage applications as well as electric vehicles, boats and aircraft. According to Gratz, Ascend Elements鈥� innovative lithium recovery process produces a remarkably low level of carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional methods like mining and brine extraction.
Ascend Elements鈥� innovative lithium extraction process produces just 2.27 kg of CO2 emissions per 1 kg of Li2CO3 produced. By comparison, spodumene mining produces approximately 16.7 kg of CO2 emissions per 1 kg of Li2CO3 and Chilean brine extraction produces approximately 3.6 kg of CO2 emissions per 1 kg of Li2CO3. These preliminary comparisons are from a life cycle assessment (LCA) not yet critically reviewed. 鈥淭o 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,鈥� Gratz said.
The Ascend Elements facility in Covington is one of North America鈥檚 largest lithium-ion battery recycling facilities. In operation since August 2022, the plant has the capacity to recycle up to 30,000 metric tons of lithium-ion battery materials per year or approximately 70,000 EV battery packs annually.