Rachid Essehli focused on recycling lithium-ion batteries
His company - AAMTECH - is developing a more environmentally friendly process to recover materials from used Li-ion batteries and create a precursor cathode active material (pCAM) for a green circular supply chain.
Rachid Essehli left his position as a Senior Scientist at the Qatar Foundation in March 2019 to join Oak Ridge National Laboratory where he continued his work on developing next generation cobalt-free cathodes for lithium-ion batteries.
Today, he’s the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of American Advanced Membrane Technology (AAMTECH), a clean technology start-up dedicated to providing zero-waste lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery recycling and providing the highest quality advancements in environmentally friendly process manufacturing. The company focuses on three core verticals:
- Reverse Osmosis through proprietary membrane filtration systems;
- Wastewater treatment reactor manufacturing; and
- Battery recycling.
Essehli is taking the company through the third cohort of the Spark Cleantech Accelerator that will be showcased during the annual “Opportunities in Energy” event hosted on November 19 by the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Knoxville.
AAMTECH is developing a more environmentally friendly process to recover materials from used Li-ion batteries and create a precursor cathode active material (pCAM) for a green circular supply chain. Unlike pyro- and hydro-metallurgical processes, which require either high energy input or complicated purification process using caustic reagents, Essehli says the newly invented process at AAMTECH is based on a green solvent recovery process would be the paradigm shift in battery recycling.
“This process eliminates several intermediary steps in the traditional cathode manufacturing process and provides significant economic and carbon-reduction benefits on the use of inexpensive and green solvents for the recovery of high purity of valuable ammonium metal sulfate hexahydrate,” he explains. The process can extract nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium from the black mass and scraps left over from batteries with 99.9% efficiency.
Essehli notes that the method is characterized by its efficiency, sustainability, and reduced environmental impact, making it a significant advancement in the field of battery waste recycling. Mixed metal hydroxide precursors are vital components in the synthesis of cathode active materials for various energy storage applications, particularly in rechargeable batteries. Conventionally, their production involves the use of ammonia-based processes, which pose environmental and operational challenges.
AAMTECH’s pCAM production process eliminates the reliance on ammonia offering a more efficient, environmentally friendly, and practical approach to synthesizing pCAM cathode precursors. The development and advancement of these two innovations will revolutionize Li-ion battery production and decrease negative environmental impacts, thus realizing the full potential of green energy.
To advance his invention which Essehli says is at a Technology Readiness Level of 4 or 5, he has secured 600 square feet of space at the Fairview Technology Center in the Solway Community.
When we asked if he was bootstrapping the venture, Essehli responded that the “funding was only from my pocket,” but added that his longtime dream was to start his own company. He will soon be raising a seed round of about $2 million to fund a pilot line and hire additional staff.
Essehli credits the Spark Cleantech Accelerator with helping build a strong business plan and making connections across the ecosystem.
“I’m happy to be there. I’ve learned a lot,” he says.
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