Proterial, a subsidiary of Hitachi Metals, has developed a way to manufacture cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries that reduces the carbon dioxide emissions of the standard process. The new method eliminates the need to convert nickel to nickel hydroxide for the starting material for the manufacture of cathode materials.
This new technology reduces CO2 emissions during the production of cathode materials by more than 20 percent. That is when compared to the current method of solid phase reaction.
The lithium-ion battery manufacturing process accounts for a large portion of the overall CO2 emissions during electric vehicle manufacturing. The largest share of those emissions come from the creation of the starter material for high nickel-type batteries.
Aaron is an automotive journalist living in Wyoming, USA. His background includes technology, mechanics, commercial vehicles, and new vehicle evaluations. Aaron is a member of several automotive media groups and writes for many well-known publications.