Perth, Feb 1, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Altech Chemicals Limited (
ASX:ATC) (A3Y:FRA) is pleased to announce that Altech Industries Germany GmbH (AIG) has completed the preliminary design for a pilot plant, to be constructed in Germany, to demonstrate Altech's proprietary battery materials alumina coating technology. The pilot plant is designed to produce up to 36,680 kilograms of anode grade coated battery material per year (120 kg per day). AIG, which is 75% owned by Altech and 25% owned by Frankfurt Stock Exchange listed Altech Advanced Materials AG, holds the exclusive rights for use of Altech's battery materials coating technology within the European Union.
The pilot plant design is intended for installation in the Dock3 facility adjacent to AIG's designated site at the Schwarze Pumpe Industrial Park (see Figures 1 and 2*). AIG has secured approximately 300m2 of floorspace within the Dock3 where the pilot plant will be located. Also, an on-site analytical laboratory is planned for the pilot plant. The laboratory will allow for the rapid assessment of pilot plant product purity and monitor physical parameters which will enable changes in processing parameters and operational setpoints to be modified quickly, as required. The Dock3 space is already connected to all required utilities and includes office space for the project and operations team.
The pilot plant design has been separated into two distinct areas of processing; precursor production, and battery material coating & calcination. Precursor production equipment shall be operated in batch mode, producing approximately 10kg per batch. Production is sufficient to feed the downstream anode material coating stage for approximately 30hrs of continuous production. Due to the nature of the metallurgical leach and crystallisation processes, and the high purity requirements of the plant end product, the process equipment shall be manufactured using fluoropolymer and ceramic materials. The design for the pilot plant also leverages the knowledge that Altech and selected equipment suppliers have developed during the design of its Johor HPA production facility. Centrifuge, filtration and calcination equipment shall be supplied by equipment vendors of full scale designs to enable the assessment of operating parameters and sizing scale up calculations.
The coating & calcination section of the pilot plant has been designed to operate continuously with minimal shutdowns, to ensure consistency in the product material. Final product purity has been the major design consideration when selecting process equipment and the main materials of construction. Production from the battery material pilot plant shall be used to confirm the Altech process consistently achieves product purity requirements, optimise equipment design and process parameters for a full scale 10,000 tpa production plant, and to produce qualification samples for any potential joint venture offtake partners and end users.
AIG is currently in the final stages of engineering contractor selection, with the chosen company to be responsible for detailed engineering design, equipment procurement and installation.
At its Perth research and development laboratory, Altech has been successful in applying its alumina coating technology to both silicon and graphite particles, typical of those used in the anode of lithium-ion batteries, such as in the burgeoning electric vehicle industry. Alumina coated particles, when incorporated into a lithium-ion battery anode, improves battery energy capacity, life and performance. On 25 November 2021, the Company announced a significant breakthrough achieved by its research and development laboratory located in Perth, Western Australia. After almost 12 months of challenging work, the R&D team "cracked the silicon barrier" and successfully produced a series of lithium-ion battery anode materials, which when tested showed ~30% higher energy retention capacity compared to conventional lithium-ion battery anode materials.
To achieve its breakthrough, Altech successfully combined silicon particles that had been treated with its innovative proprietary coating technology with regular battery grade graphite particles, to produce a lithiumion battery electrode containing a composite graphite / silicon anode. When energised, these materials held 30% more capacity compared to a conventional graphite only anode material. Also, the previously unresolved obstacles for using silicon in lithium-ion battery anodes which were silicon particle swelling; prohibitive first-cycle-capacity-loss of up to 50%; and rapid battery degradation from each charge and discharge cycle, were also resolved during the laboratory testing of Altech's composite graphite/silicon battery anodes. Importantly, the batteries demonstrated extremely good stability and cycling performance over extended periods.
The lithium-ion battery industry has recognised that the required step change to increase lithium-ion battery energy density and reduced cost is to introduce silicon into battery anodes, as silicon has ~ ten times the energy retention capacity compared to graphite. Silicon metal has been identified as the most promising anode material for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries. However, until now, silicon was unable to be used in commercial lithium-ion batteries due to two critical drawbacks. Firstly, silicon particles expand by up to 300% in volume during battery charge, causing particle swelling, fracturing and ultimately battery failure. The second challenge is that silicon deactivates a high percentage of the lithium ions in a battery.
Lithium ions are rendered in-active by the silicon, immediately reducing battery performance and life. The industry has been in a race to crack the silicon barrier.
Altech's potentially game changing technology has demonstrated that silicon particles can be modified to resolve the capacity loss caused by swelling and first-cycle-loss capacity. Phase 2 of Altech's planned R&D program will see the Company strive to improve on the 30% energy increase achieved in the first phase.
To view the Pilot Plant video, please visit:
https://www.abnnewswire.net/press/en/109043/atc
*To view tables and figures, please visit:
https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/13E7X9WT
About Altech Batteries Ltd
Altech Batteries Limited (ASX:ATC) (FRA:A3Y) is a specialty battery technology company that has a joint venture agreement with world leading German battery institute Fraunhofer IKTS ("Fraunhofer") to commercialise the revolutionary CERENERGY(R) Sodium Alumina Solid State (SAS) Battery. CERENERGY(R) batteries are the game-changing alternative to lithium-ion batteries. CERENERGY(R) batteries are fire and explosion-proof; have a life span of more than 15 years and operate in extreme cold and desert climates. The battery technology uses table salt and is lithium-free; cobalt-free; graphite-free; and copper-free, eliminating exposure to critical metal price rises and supply chain concerns.
The joint venture is commercialising its CERENERGY(R) battery, with plans to construct a 100MWh production facility on Altech's land in Saxony, Germany. The facility intends to produce CERENERGY(R) battery modules to provide grid storage solutions to the market.
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