Award-winning precursors for electric car batteries

Batteries with LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cathodes are on the rise worldwide. The growth of electric mobility is also contributing to this. Current market studies predict that electric vehicles with LFP cathodes will account for between 20 and 30 percent of the market in Europe and the USA by 2030. 

However, there are several reasons for the global growth of LFP batteries. Compared to lithium-ion technology with cathodes based on nickel, manganese and cobalt (NMC) or nickel, cobalt and aluminum (NCA), LFP batteries are significantly cheaper in terms of raw materials and production. 

No expensive and rare heavy metals have to be mined for their cells. This has a noticeable effect on vehicle costs. Why? The cathode material accounts for over 60 percent of the high cell costs. 

The advantage of LFP battery technology:

• a high number of charging cycles,
• a long service life and 
• the batteries are thermally more stable and safer.

Ending dependence

LFP cathode materials and corresponding batteries are currently produced almost exclusively in China and exported from there all over the world. This means

• long transport routes, 
• vulnerable supply chains, 
• geopolitical risks and 
• a dependency in terms of economic efficiency, quality and sustainability. 

Western OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in particular therefore favor the development of regional value chains for LFP batteries. This should lead to greater independence and securely supply the European and American markets with sustainable materials of regional origin. 

Difference between conventional production and LANXESS

Chinese manufacturers start with iron sulfate in the LFP synthesis, which is converted with phosphoric acid to iron phosphate and this with lithium carbonate to LFP. 

The disadvantage is that wastewater with high salt loads, among other things from ammonium and sodium sulfate, is produced, which can only be separated with extremely high effort and significant energy consumption. Furthermore, the process requires large quantities of iron sulfate. In China, iron sulfate is a by-product of white pigment production, and it is not available in sufficient quantities outside of this region.

We are therefore focusing our product range for Western markets on two more environmentally friendly process alternatives that make greater use of regionally available raw materials. One of these has already been established on a smaller scale. In this process, iron oxide, phosphorus and lithium compounds are converted to LFP.

The other process, like the Chinese process, converts iron phosphate with lithium compounds to LFP, but obtains the iron phosphate directly from iron and phosphoric acid. LANXESS plans to supply both processes with raw materials.

Customized iron oxides 

Our Inorganic Pigments (IPG) business unit has recently started offering customized products that have been specially developed for the LFP process via iron oxides. 
With a production capacity of over 300,000 tons per year, IPG is one of the world's leading manufacturers of iron oxides and the only major western manufacturer. Did you know that around 70 percent of the production volume manufactured outside of China comes from LANXESS production plants?

LANXESS currently offers two iron oxide battery grades under the brand name Bayoxide^®. And our iron oxide is produced with regard to purity, surface properties, crystallinity and particle size in such a way that it enables optimal electrochemical properties for the cathode materials. 

Partnerships

We also cooperate with other western partners in the value chain of LFP batteries to develop technical iron oxides for LFP applications. 

One example of this is our collaboration with IBU-tec advanced materials. Together, we want to develop innovative iron oxides for the production of cathode material for LFP batteries, thereby making this type of battery more powerful than before. 

The aim is to further improve the electrochemical properties of LFP in order to increase the energy densities and charging speeds of the batteries and enable more charging cycles.

Large-scale entry into iron phosphate production

And the business unit is also planning to establish itself as a supplier with a view to the second LFP process route via iron phosphate. So far, there has been insufficient capacity for iron phosphate in Europe that can be used for LFP production. This is where we want to start. We are therefore currently examining the possibility of setting up our own production capacities.
The plans are to use proven facilities in Krefeld-Uerdingen for this purpose. This would make LANXESS the only major producer in Europe and one of the few worldwide. 

A feasibility study has confirmed that the technology is commercially viable and is an economical and sustainable alternative to the manufacturing process that starts with iron sulfate. It does not produce any climate-damaging emissions of nitrogen and sulfur oxides, nor any wastewater with high salt levels. 

Test products with good properties have already been synthesized on a laboratory scale. Up-scaling is currently underway on a pilot plant scale in order to optimize the raw materials and product yield, among other things, and to define the process parameters for mass production. 

Product optimization is partly carried out in collaboration with external partners. The aim is to start large-scale production when manufacturers in Europe and North and South America begin mass-producing LFP batteries. 

At all levels – recycling for a circular economy

In order to conserve resources and protect the climate, we rely on material cycles for both raw materials for LFP cathodes and spent LFP batteries. For example, iron scrap is used in the production of iron oxides and iron phosphate for LFP production. 

In addition, we are already looking at recycling concepts that examine the recycling of large quantities of old LFP batteries. To this end, we are working with partners on a project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWiK) that aims to recycle LFP cathode materials. 

Chemical processes are being developed to recover lithium, iron and phosphorus, among other things, from the so-called black mass that is produced during battery recycling by shredding. Here, LANXESS' backward integration in phosphorus and iron chemicals is proving to be a particular strength. This is because the recyclates can be incorporated into existing production processes. 

Sustainable supply chains – transparent and measurable

In the production of battery cells, basic ecological compatibility is also a key criterion. The use of regionally available raw materials with an improved carbon footprint can offer advantages here:

• due to the use of more sustainable manufacturing methods according to western industrial standards, 
• a more sustainable electricity mix and 
• shorter transport distances. 

In this context, LANXESS offers sustainable solutions with its iron-based raw materials for LFP. And LANXESS is committed to transparency in the environmental performance of its products and offers TÜV-certified life cycle assessments (LCA). These provide detailed information on the respective carbon footprint, for example, and form a reliable basis for comparing products from different raw material suppliers.