Projects

The vision of RESPECT project is to contribute to paving the way for increasing global competitiveness, strategic autonomy, and circularity of the European battery ecosystem by developing innovative green recycling and materials recovery processes, and thus supporting the growing Li-ion battery manufacturing in Europe.

The project RecyLIB aims to establish sustainable, low-energy and highly efficient manufacturing and recycling chains for lithium-ion batteries.

With increasing registration numbers of electric vehicles, sustainable production and recycling of traction batteries are gaining in importance - literally. Thanks to coordinated joint research efforts, battery cells should also be able to be produced in Germany and Europe in the future. Against this background, cell production processes must be as environmentally friendly and battery materials must be recovered and reused as efficiently as possible. Only in this way can battery-based electromobility become truly future-proof and sustainable.

The separation of dissolved valuable substances and pollutants in low concentrations is essential for efficient water treatment and raw material supply. Thus, it is imperative to develop solutions for better separation of heavy metals or drug residues from industrial/clinical wastewater as well as Li concentration for batteries and water desalination for green hydrogen.

The joint project MADAM4Life aims to monitor different cell states such as State-of-Charge (SoC), and aging processes in LIBs during battery operation (operando) using different non-invasive and non-destructive mechanical measurement techniques.

Lithium-ion batteries require in addition to lithium metal a number of sophisticated functional materials for their performance. Some of them sound rather unspectacular: conductive additives. In fact, conductive additives like carbon black or carbon nanotubes are a decisive component for the performance and environmental benignity of lithium-ion batteries. The recently launched collaborative project HiQ-CARB aims to provide new carbons with a superior performance and a low carbon footprint for future green batteries in Europe. HiQ-CARB is receiving EU funding from EIT RawMaterials to scale up and validate this important battery material.

Battery production and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) methods are two key technologies for Germany and Europe as well. For the production of battery cells, an increase in productivity is necessary, among other things. This can be increased by reducing scrap, material and energy use. By digitizing production and using AI-based methods, this productivity can be significantly increased.

The EU project BIG-MAP (Battery Interface Genome – Materials Acceleration Platform), aims at accelerating the speed of battery development by changing the way of inventing, so that future sustainable and ultra-high-performance batteries can be developed 10 times faster than today. Using machine-learning algorithms coupled with physical models and data it will – for example – be possible to predict the durability of a new battery in a fraction of the time it has taken so far. This can be done through large-scale computer simulations, experiments and tests that are continuously evaluated without human intervention. The Fraunhofer R&D Center Electromobility at the Fraunhofer ISC contributes its knowledge concerning laboratory automation for material synthesis and development. „In the BIG MAP project we will develop a modular robot system starting with the synthesis of protective coating materials. Our ambition is to have this framework acting as a physical interface in the more and more digitized materials development of the future“, says Dr. Henning Lorrmann, Head of the Fraunhofer R&D Center Electromobility.

The SPARTACUS project aims to develop a multifunctional sensor array technology for various types of batteries combined with an advanced battery management system ensuring improved charging behaviour and maximized battery lifetime. The optimized detection of battery health and battery function will make it possible to recharge in a safe but fast way – much faster than before. The project will focus on mechanical and acoustic sensors complemented by temperature sensors and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The sensor data will feed an advanced battery management system, which compares real data with battery data models to gain a comprehensive analysis of the real battery condition.

The EU-funded project, named ASTRABAT, aims to develop optimal lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery solutions for the increasing demands of the electric vehicle market in particular. The goal is to fulfil Europe’s need for a safe, high-energy, sustainable and marketable battery for green mobility that could be manufactured in Europe on a massive scale. As society turns to electric vehicles, this challenge has now become acute, with Asian competitors well ahead in the game.