Ascend Elements

The North American lithium-ion battery recycling industry has made incredible progress in the last few years. According to research by Roland Berger, the industry is now producing nearly 5 times as much black mass annually as it did in 2021. Almost twice as much as it did in 2022. Indeed, 2024 was a record-breaking year for domestic lithium-ion battery recycling. Recyclers have done a fantastic job keeping batteries out of landfills. The next step in the evolution of the young industry is closing the loop and putting high-value #recycled battery materials back into the supply chain at a commercial scale. In 2025, Ascend Elements will begin production of #recycled #lithium carbonate and #sustainable cathode precursor (#pCAM) at commercial scale in the U.S. To all our friends, team members, investors and partners, we appreciate your support in the first few years of our journey and we can’t wait to elevate the recycled battery materials industry to new heights in 2025.

To our team members, customers, partners and investors, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year! https://lnkd.in/gRAF2S4T

Our #engineering teams in Massachusetts and Michigan are breaking records almost every week as they produce increasing amounts of #domestic NMC cathode #precursor (pCAM) and NMC #cathode active material (CAM) made from #recycled battery materials. With major U.S. customers currently testing and qualifying our high-performance engineered products, we're on track to begin commercial-scale production of pCAM in late 2025 at our Apex 1 campus in Hopkinsville, KY. Learn more about our patented Hydro-to-Cathode® direct precursor synthesis process technology! https://lnkd.in/gRAF2S4T

Lithium-ion battery recycling can be an ultra-efficient source of domestic lithium for the growing U.S. battery industry. Of course, battery recycling isn’t going to replace the need for mining, but it can complement mining as an additional, low-emissions source of critical battery metals. Our partners in the mining industry have made great progress in reducing carbon emissions in recent years…and our innovative new lithium recovery process can reduce carbon emissions even further. In the coming years, North America will need to produce a lot more lithium to meet growing demand for Li-ion batteries used in grid-scale energy storage, heavy duty and passenger EVs, electric boats and aircraft. Continued advances in domestic mining, processing and recycling are essential to secure North America’s critical minerals and energy independence. Read more about North America’s newest source of lithium carbonate, the Ascend Elements facility in Covington, Georgia! 👇 https://lnkd.in/gRvss9Z6

More news: We’re commissioning the Li2CO3 line in Covington now and expect to be operational in 2025. We’re seeing high demand for domestic battery materials; this Lithium Carbonate already sold and will go back into the U.S. EV battery supply chain.

Ascend Elements 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. “This is the first new, domestic source of lithium carbonate in the 21st Century,” said Eric Gratz, co-founder and CTO of Ascend Elements. “This 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.” 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’ innovative lithium recovery process produces a remarkably low level of carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional methods like mining and brine extraction. Read more! https://lnkd.in/gRvss9Z6

Ascend Elements will be in Las Vegas next week for the 2024 Advanced Automotive Batteries Conference! Tomasz Poznar, Ph.D. will help lead a tutorial on sodium sulfate management on Monday, Dec. 9 and then he will give a podium presentation comparing closed-loop battery supply chains in the United States and Europe on the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 10. Thomas Frey, APR will present on sourcing IRA-compliant EV battery materials and discuss emerging issues in the domestic battery materials market on Thursday, Dec. 12. Please join us for a networking reception in the exhibit hall on Tuesday evening. See you in Las Vegas! https://lnkd.in/freQH7b

Closing the loop on lithium-ion battery materials is important...and we're focused on returning used critical minerals back to the domestic battery supply chain. But we can't forget about that other supply chain metaphor: vertical integration. Beyond closing the loop, we're creating a vertically integrated battery materials supply chain in the United States. As the name of our company suggests, we're elevating the value of recycled critical minerals and engineering new, sustainable battery materials in the United States. It's good for the environment AND good for U.S. energy security. Learn more about our domestic battery materials capabilities! https://lnkd.in/gRAF2S4T

Thanks to all of our team members, past and present! We are thankful for you and your many contributions to Ascend Elements. Happy Thanksgiving!

When we #recycle a lithium-ion electric vehicle #battery, we use SAP to track critical battery materials through the #recycling process and back into the #domestic supply chain. We also use the platform to plan production schedules with an understanding of what materials will be in stock, where they are coming from, and where they are going. “We want to use best-in-time manufacturing practices, which means just-in-time delivery of materials." Ascend Elements co-founder and CTO Eric Gratz, Ph.D. recently joined Chris Glander and Julianne Pepitone for a Fast Company + Inc. Magazine panel discussion about the use of ERP tech in the mill products and mining industries. https://lnkd.in/gt8Hqu2M