March 25, 2025 | 9am CET | 4am EDT
Silicon: Utilizing the most advanced materials to shape the future of Li-Ion batteries
Even though automotive applications are the lead market for lithium-ion battery cells, there are a variety of different applications. These include some that cannot be served by the mass market because the requirements for energy storage are too high or too special. To fulfill these unmet market demands, CustomCells has created the Modular Cell Kit. Within this kit, high silicon anodes are used to meet high energy and power requirements.
This presentation will highlight the impact of these materials on cell design, the accuracy of existing process technology and the use of new processes to utilize these materials even more efficiently for new products.
Jan Diekmann
VP Innovation @ Customcells
March 25, 2025 | 10am CET | 5am EDT
Prime Lithium
The first research on lithium-ion batteries was carried out on the 1970s, and the first commercial products were introduced to the market in 1991. The lithium battery has come a very long way since then; stability, scale and energy densities have improved consistently over the years. Yet there is still considerable room for improvement in both the basic science and the commercial production of these batteries and the critical materials that go into them.
Prime Lithium AG was founded in 2021 to produce lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) with the aim of closing the divide that currently separates the production of raw materials for batteries and the downstream, large-scale production of electric vehicles – particularly in Europe. Based in Hamburg, the company specializes in the production of low-carbon battery-grade lithium, which is the key material needed for the manufacture of the cathodes used in high-performance Li-ionbatteries.
The Prime Lithium Research and Development Center, inaugurated in July 2023, employs state-of-the-art equipment and advanced simulation techniques to optimize chemical and process engineering tasks. First and foremost, the company has been developing a proprietary process for the production of LHM. The new process uses an acid- and sulfate-free hydrometallurgical technique and deploys carbon capture and utilization. It results in high-purity LHM and has been shown to minimize energy consumption and environmental impacts.
This important work will enable better battery performance and more climate-friendly electric mobility. The process is fully scalable, anticipating further growth in demand for high-performance batteries, and it will cut emissions by more than half compared to current technologies. Following a pilot phase, the company will build a production plant with a capacity of 20,000 tons per year to supply Europe’s battery and automotive industries with sustainable lithium.
CEO Dr. Axel C Heitmann earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of Hamburg and a doctorate at the University of Southampton in England before joining Bayer AG as an executive in the materials science business. When Lanxess AG was spun off from Bayer, he became CEO of the new corporation, successfully IPOed it and then growing it to become a component of the DAX index in 2012. He became the CEO of Prime Lithium AG upon its formation in 2021.
Axel Heitmann
Co-Founder @ Prime Lithium AG
March 26, 2025 | 9am CET | 4am EDT
Europe’s Roadmap to a Competitive and Sustainable Battery Industry
The presentation highlights the current developments and challenges of the battery industry in Europe. The production of lithium-ion batteries continues to be dominated by Asian countries, particularly China, Korea, and Japan. The three largest cell manufacturers, CATL, LG Energy Solution, and BYD, account for about 66% of global production capacity. Europe is currently experiencing strong growth in battery production, with Germany, Hungary, France, the UK, and Spain leading the way. A crucial aspect for the European battery industry is the availability of raw materials. Europe has limited amounts of necessary raw materials like lithium and cobalt, increasing dependency on imports. Recycling and the development of a circular economy are therefore essential to improve raw material availability and economic efficiency. Innovations in battery technology, such as solid-state batteries and new anode and cathode materials, are also of great importance. Automation and process innovations, like laser drying, contribute to cost reduction and efficiency improvement in production. In summary, the presentation shows that Europe is on a good path to building a competitive and sustainable battery industry, but challenges remain regarding raw material availability and technological innovations.
Heiner Heimes
Chairʼs Strategic and Operational Management @ PEM
March 26, 2025 | 10am CET | 5am EDT
Ramp-Up of Battery Cell Production - Why is it so challenging?
Just a few years ago, a large number of gigafactories were supposed to be built in Europe. Today, barely any of these gigafactories have been built. Most have either been cancelled or are on hold. Some manufacturers have even had to file for bankruptcy, partly because the ramp-up of production is not working as planned. But why is it so difficult to ramp up battery cell production, especially since the battery cell is actually a fairly simple product that has already been produced in Asia in mass production for a decade? In this presentation, we will show how battery cell production actually works and what is so challenging about the mass production of battery cells. We will also look at the financial consequences of this and what approaches can be taken to accelerate the ramp-up.
Florian Degen
Division Director "Strategy & Corporate Development" @ Fraunhofer Fraunhofer-Einrichtung Forschungsfertigung Batteriezelle FFB
March 26, 2025 | 11am CET | 6am EDT
How to speed up battery production projects – bringing Chemistry to Automotive Industry
Lukas Kothmeier
Founder @ LKMC
March 27, 2025 | 9am CET | 4am EDT
Disassembly and recycling of lithium-Ion batteries
In order to close material cycles in battery cell production and to reduce costs and environmental impacts along the product life cycle, the recycling of end-of-life (EoL) battery cell materials is mandatory. In addition, the impact of production scrap is increasing due to the ramp-up of cell factories. Typical waste streams from lithium-ion battery production are electrodes and battery cells. In most cases, production waste is processed using conventional recycling routes, although innovative, efficient, electrode-specific direct recycling processes could also be used. The focus of the presentation is therefore on the comparison of different recycling routes for EoL and production scrap recycling, the influence of dismantling strategies on recycling, and the economic and ecological evaluation of the routes.
Sabrina Zellmer
Professor @ Technische Universität Braunschweig
March 27, 2025 | 1pm CET | 8am EDT
Maximising the efficiency of elemental analysis of black mass originating from recycled lithium-ion batteries
The rising use of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in electric vehicles, portable electronics, and renewable energy storage applications has made battery recycling increasingly vital. Black mass (BM), a metal concentrate obtained after crushing and separating battery components, contains high-value elements such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. These metals are essential for developing new battery precursor materials, reducing reliance on mining and mitigating associated environmental and social impacts. BM also contains toxic elements like lead and cadmium, requiring careful monitoring to prevent environmental hazards.
Accurate elemental analysis of BM is crucial as it determines batch value, often based on virgin battery-grade mineral spot prices. This study explores the application of ICP-OES elemental analysis using a new nebulizer to enhance black mass recycling workflows. Using ICP-OES with new inert V-groove nebulizer, multi-element analysis of BM samples was performed directly on acid digestates, without the need for prior filtering. This approach enables accurate, high-throughput detection of commertially valuble and toxic elements, streamlining the recycling process. In this session, Alejandro will focus on sample preparation and provide in-depth insights into ICP-OES analysis of BM materials, further refining elemental analysis requirements. The innovative use of V-Groove technology presents a transformative solution for laboratories processing large volumes of BM, optimizing recycling workflows and supporting the transition toward a sustainable circular economy.
Alejandro Amorin
Application Chemist @ Agilent Technologies