Page 151 - CW E-Magazine (18-6-2024)

News from Abroad

PARTNERSHIP
Fortum and Marubeni to jointly work on recycling

graphite from EV battery waste

Finland-based energy fi rm, Fortum, Recycling aims to change
has said its subsidiary, Fortum Battery this, as we are working
Recycling, has entered into a prelimi- on our own graphite re-
nary agreement and signed a memo- cycling technology,” said
randum of understanding with Japan’s Fortum’s Mr. Tero Hol-
trading major, Marubeni Corporation, länder, Head for Battery
to jointly build a sustainable lithi- business line, Fortum
um-ion battery recycling chain, focus- Battery Recycling.
ing on graphite recycling.
Fortum is producing
Marubeni will support Fortum in “We are very excited to be coope- recycled graphite from EV battery
supplying in-process waste materials rating with Marubeni to explore po- waste. Graphite is suitable for use in
and process chemicals, and also seek for tential business opportunities within several industrial applications and fur-
the possibility of graphite and lithium graphite recycling. An average electric ther developed for EV battery anodes.
recycling technologies, in order to de- vehicle (EV) car battery contains about
velop a recycling value chain to meet 52-kg of graphite, and it is the main raw Through this partnership, Fortum,
the market demand. Both companies material of an EV battery. At the same together with Marubeni, will play a key
will continue to explore other poten- time, 40% of raw natural graphite is role in the European market for recyc-
tial business opportunities and promote imported from China and technologies led lithium-ion battery materials and
sustainable growth in the clean energy for graphite recycling do not exist on a contribute to the realisation of a sus-
fi eld. commercial scale yet. Fortum Battery tainable society.

POOLING EXPERTISE
OccidentalBHE Renewables jv to commercialise

TerraLithium extraction technology

American energy major, Occidental, in California’s Imperial Valley, which commercial lithium production faci-
and BHE Renewables, a subsidiary process 50,000 gallons of lithium-rich lities outside the Imperial Valley.
of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, have brine per minute to produce 345 mega-
formed a joint venture for the demon- watts of clean energy. “By leveraging Occidental’s exper-
stration and deployment of TerraLithi- tise in managing and processing brine
um’s Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) The joint venture has begun a project in our oil & gas and chemicals busi-
and associated technologies to extract at BHE Renewables’ Imperial Valley nesses, combined with BHE Renew-
and commercially produce high-purity geothermal facility to demonstrate the ables’ deep knowledge in geothermal
lithium compounds from geothermal feasibility of using the TerraLithium operations, we are uniquely positioned
brine. DLE technology to produce lithium in to advance a more sustainable form of
an environmentally safe manner. lithium production,” said Mr. Richard
TerraLithium, a wholly owned subsi- Jackson, President, US Onshore
diary of Occidental, has patented DLE Upon successful demonstration, Resources and Carbon Management,
technologies that have the potential to BHE Renewables plans to build, own Operations at Occidental. “We look
process any lithium-containing brine and operate commercial lithium pro- forward to working with BHE Renewa-
into a responsibly sourced supply of duction facilities in California’s Impe- bles to demonstrate how DLE techno-
high-purity lithium. BHE Renewables rial Valley. The joint venture also plans logy can produce a critical mineral that
operates 10 geothermal power plants to license the technology and develop society needs to further net zero goals.”

Chemical Weekly June 18, 2024 151

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