Micronics Announces Large, Multi-plant Filter Press Order for Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling for EVs

Did you know… the latest edition of the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s annual Global EV Outlook 2023 shows that more than 10 million electric cars were sold worldwide in 2022 and that sales are expected to grow by another 35% in 2023 to reach 14 million. Based on the latest projections, electric cars’ share of the overall car market has risen from around 4% in 2020 to 14% in 2022 and is expected to increase to 18% in 2023.

A number of factors are driving this growth in consumer demand including greater environmental concerns, automaker commitment & availability of more models to choose from, increased cost-competitiveness with traditional gas vehicles, increased battery capacity and vehicle range, and saving consumers money over the long run. 

Lithium-ion Batteries Will be Needed to Fuel EV Growth – Battery Recycling Will be Key

According to a March 2023 article on battery recycling by global management consulting firm, McKinsey, the 5 key factors driving EV battery recycling include: technological progress, supply chain stability considerations, decarbonization and ethical supply-chain targets, regulatory incentives, and regulatory pressure. All of these elements are rapidly coming together to support EV growth.  

The US Inflation Reduction Act passed in August 2022, places great emphasis on strengthening domestic supply chains for electric vehicles (EVs), batteries, and battery minerals. In 2027 – on the regulatory front – for an EV to be tax-credit eligible, 80% of the market value of critical minerals (e.g. lithium, cobalt, and nickel) in its battery must be sourced domestically or from U.S. free-trade partners. Between August 2022, when the Inflation Reduction Act was passed, and March 2023, major EV and battery makers announced investments totaling at least $52 billion in EV supply chains in North America.

Micronics: Walking the Talk on Battery Recycling

“We are very proud to announce that the Micronics Engineered Filtration Group is playing a leading role in the EV supply chain, with the recent award of a major multi-plant filter press equipment supply agreement with an industry leader in the battery recycling supply chain in North America. This supply agreement includes nine (9) fully-automated 1200mm, 100 ft³ filter presses,” according to Senior VP of Sales & Marketing, Jason Wettstaedt.

These Micronics 100 ft³ filter presses will all be expandable to 125 ft³ and will include:

• Fully-Automatic Filter Plate Shifters
• An Automatic Process Manifold
• Safety Light Curtains
• Elevated platforms with chutes to discharge filter cakes into bulk bags  

Battery recycling has been one of the growing areas of focus for the Micronics team including:

• lead-acid battery recycling
• lithium-ion battery recycling
• recycling of nickel metal hydride batteries (NiMH)
• recycling of nickel-cadmium batteries

“Through Micronics’ filtration equipment manufactured in our Advanced Technology Center in Chattanooga, TN, USA, we will be contributing to the processing of end-of-life electric vehicle  batteries, giga-factory scrap, and end-of-life consumer batteries to extract critical materials like lithium, cobalt and nickel. With this recent award, Micronics continues to pioneer in engineered filtration solutions that are a vital part of the growing circular economy, supporting the planet for future generations,” Mr. Wettstaedt commented.

Contact Us to learn more about our Filter Press Solutions for the rapidly growing battery recycling market. We are here to help pioneering industry leaders address rapidly growing EV industry growth!