Imagine making batteries without using the toxic solvents that usually require massive, energy-hungry ovens to dry. This project creates two new ways to 'paint' battery electrodes: one that removes the harmful chemicals and another that skips liquids entirely. It's like switching from wet paint that takes hours to dry to a high-tech sticker that is instant and cleaner.
Current Li-ion battery production relies on toxic solvents and energy-intensive drying processes that increase costs and environmental footprints. This makes scaling giga-factories expensive and ecologically damaging.
Two manufacturing routes: an NMP-free wet coating system (TRL6) and a dry electrode processing technique (TRL5), along with a Design for Manufacture digital dataset.
If you are a cell producer dealing with high energy costs and toxic solvent waste — this project developed NMP-free wet processing that allows for rapid scale-up in existing industrial setups. This leads to 30 prototyped cells of 10 Ah, reducing environmental impact.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with the need for cheaper, safer production lines — this project developed dry processing techniques. While at a lower readiness level, it provides a path to eliminate liquid solvents entirely for future giga-factory automation.
If you are a recycling firm dealing with difficult battery disassembly — this project developed a Design for Manufacture approach. This ensures cell designs are created specifically to facilitate easier re-use and disassembly at the end of life.
The project focuses on increasing cost-efficiency by reducing energy consumption and eliminating expensive NMP solvent recovery systems. Based on available project data, the goal is to optimize the economic performance of generation 3b Li-ion cells.
The NMP-free wet processing is targeting TRL6 with 30 cells of 10 Ah prototyped. The dry processing is at a lower scale, producing 30-40 mAh monolayer pouch cell prototypes.
Based on available project data, the project develops new manufacturing processes and Design for Manufacture guidelines. Specific licensing terms are not listed, but the outcomes include validated electrode preparation procedures.
The project specifically targets the removal of N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), a regulated solvent, to improve the environmental and social performance of factories.
The NMP-free wet processing is designed for quick market uptake in current industrial setups. The dry processing is intended as a longer-term innovation path.
The consortium is highly industry-weighted, with 8 industrial partners (50% of the total 16 members), including 7 SMEs. This strong industrial presence, combined with 3 universities and 5 research centers across 8 countries, suggests the research is tightly coupled with commercial needs and scalable manufacturing requirements.
Contact Politecnico di Torino regarding the NMP-free wet processing TRL6 results.
Contact us to find a licensing partner for dry electrode processing.
