Vancouver-based Telescope Innovations Corp says the first application of its ReCRFT refinement process to battery recycling waste stream has converted “captured” lithium into battery-grade lithium carbonate.
“We set out to build a new pathway for battery recycling that is compatible with the scale and technoeconimcs of the challenge,” Telescope chief technology officer Dr Jason Hein said.
“Last year we realised that finely controlling crystallisation, instead of adding various reagents over multiple steps, could be used to isolate and purify lithium carbonate from recycling brines. Our team has now executed that vision with a process that yields battery-grade material ready for downstream testing, showcasing Telescope’s ability to move effectively from innovation to demonstration.”
The company says production of more than 99.9% lithium carbonate using ReCRFT highlighted the versatility of the process. It also addressed a “major challenge in the battery recycling space”, which was capturing valuable lithium from black mass leach solutions. “Lithium in these waste solutions accounts for between 16% and 55% of the total metal value in spent batteries, making efficient recovery a critical step toward sustainable battery materials sourcing,” it said.
Telescope said this week initial batches of recycled, battery-grade lithium carbonate delivered to battery recycling company Cellmine in Scotland and the University of St Andrews would be used to fabricate and test lithium-ion batteries.
“These collaborations connect our technology directly to both commercial recyclers and academic leaders in electrochemistry,” said Hein. “It’s an important step in ensuring our processes not only work at the lab scale but deliver real value to the supply chain.”
CellMine CEO Simon Rathbone said access to high-purity, battery-grade lithium carbonate from recycled sources was a “critical step in scaling sustainable cathode production”.
“Testing Telescope’s ReCRFT material allows us to validate new supply pathways that align with CellMine’s sulphate-free recycling process, strengthening resilience in the battery materials supply chain,” he said.
