Future Days Battery Edition recap: Advanced analytics transforming battery recycling efficiency

On May 21, Malvern Panalytical hosted the Future Days: Focus on Battery virtual event, featuring a range of speakers from across industry and academia. Read on for a recap of Margarita Merkulova’s session on integrating analytical techniques in battery recycling.

Looking for the video? Watch the recording of this session and more from Future Days: Battery Edition here.

Summary and Q&A

The circular materials technology sector is experiencing unprecedented growth as the demand for sustainable battery solutions intensifies. And as battery volumes continue to grow exponentially, the need for efficient recovery of valuable elements like nickel, cobalt, lithium, and copper becomes paramount. The development of multi-elemental, non-destructive recycling techniques could dramatically improve efficiency while reducing costs and enhancing sustainability.

Umicore’s two-stage battery recycling flow starts with pyrometallurgical processing, using ultra-high temperature smelting. This transforms end-of-life batteries into separate phases: a metal alloy containing nickel, cobalt, and copper; flue dust with lithium; and metallurgical slag. The second stage utilizes hydrometallurgical processing, including leaching, precipitation, and metal recovery to produce pure copper, nickel, cobalt, and lithium compounds. This step results in reduced chemical usage and lower energy consumption compared to other battery recyclers.

Margarita outlined four critical categories where analytical innovations are necessary to advance battery recycling efficiency:

1. Input material characterization: Battery chemistry varies significantly across different types and manufacturers, and black mass, a key recycling feedstock, exemplifies this variability. The challenge is to develop techniques for the simultaneous analysis of transition metals alongside light elements like carbon, lithium, and fluorine.
2. Real-time process monitoring for metallurgical phases during high-temperature processing. Currently, obtaining analysis results takes approximately one hour, including sampling, cooling, preparation, and analysis – far too slow for immediate process adjustments.
3. Non-destructive battery assessment: Analyzing intact battery cells and modules without dismantling. Visually identical battery cases can contain dramatically different internal chemistries.
4. Environmental monitoring excellence: PFAS (per– and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as “forever chemicals”) are used in battery production and can be emitted during recycling, particularly at lower temperatures.

Advanced analytical techniques play an essential role in optimizing battery recycling processes. Umicore uses techniques ranging from X-ray diffraction and particle size distribution to ICP methods and complementary LIBS units, as part of analytical workflows that ensure representative sampling and accurate analysis.

Below is a summary of the key questions and answers shared during this session.

Are all materials processed through the same recycling pathway?

While Umicore generally starts with the pyrometallurgical step, depending on material purity, some feedstocks can skip directly to hydrometallurgical processing. This flexibility optimizes efficiency based on input material characteristics.

How does Umicore handle manganese recovery?

Manganese is recycled but not recovered at the same rate as nickel, cobalt, lithium, and copper. It ends up in pyrometallurgical slag, which has applications in other processes but doesn’t yet meet battery-grade specifications.

What analytical methods are used for lithium analysis?

High-precision analysis relies on established lab-based techniques like ICP and atomic absorption spectroscopy. However, LIBS units provide rapid analysis capabilities that complement XRF solutions for faster process control.

Has Umicore considered direct recycling approaches?

While some materials can proceed directly to hydrometallurgical processing based on purity, Umicore’s current integrated flow sheet demonstrates superior environmental performance, with significantly lower CO₂ contributions compared to direct recycling approaches.

You can watch the recording of this session and more from Future Days: Battery Edition here.

Further reading:

Further reading

• Recap: Future Days Battery Edition 2025
• Future Days Battery Edition recap, part 1: Trends in battery production and materials
• Future Days Battery Edition recap, part 2: Emerging materials in electrochemical energy storage