SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): The $8,137,783 funding support awarded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help the Michigan Technical University (MTU) to develop a better battery recycling and metal refining technology. The project will be implemented in partnership with Eagle Mine.

The partnership will develop a technology which can be commercialized at a faster pace. It will construct a pilot-scale facility to demonstrate innovative battery recycling technology. The facility targets to produce both intermediate lithium and nickel products as well as battery-grade lithium carbonate and nickel sulphate.

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The funding will help MTU to move its research from the lab to a pilot-scale facility, which will be constructed on the Upper Peninsula. The commercialization of the technology will deliver immense benefits to the electric vehicle sector in the U.S, by ensuring supply of minerals for battery manufacturing.

In addition to the $8.1 million funding, the MTU and Eagle Mine have also received $2.5 million from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy (DOE ARPA-E) grant program. This is in support of MTU’s study on carbon dioxide emissions from Eagle Mine’s tailings facility and development of accelerated carbon mineralization technology.