Raw Materials Mining

Primary raw materials (such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese ores) are mined. Efficient and clean extraction technologies, optimized refining decisions, and tracking standards are paramount to responsibly drive the energy transition

Processing

Raw ores are further refined, often using hydrometallurgical conversion processes, turning mined materials into battery chemicals. Metals convert into metal-sulphates, and lithium becomes lithium hydroxide or lithium carbonate.

Precursor /Cathode Active Materials Production

In the precursor phase, battery chemicals (excluding lithium) are combined and united, creating a transition-metal hydroxide precursor material. To produce cathode active materials, lithium is added through a sintering process, creating a homogeneous composition cathode active material

Battery Cell & Pack Production

Cathode active materials, copper, aluminium foil, and electrolytes are combined with the anode, typically made of graphite or silicon-based products. Completed battery cells are assembled into battery packs for electric vehicles. Ongoing experimentation with cathode chemistries contributes to the evolving technology landscape

End Users

Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturers purchase and install the battery packs in their dedicated assembly lines. Increasingly, batteries will feature a “battery passport,” giving consumers access to information on materials’ provenance, types and carbon footprint

Recycling (Black Mass)

As batteries degrade over time and energy capacity drops, it may enter a “second life” in applications like grid energy storage systems or be recycled into new batteries. The first recycling step involves discharging, dismantling and shredding, producing a “black mass”. This can be further processed to recover battery chemicals such as nickel, cobalt and lithium