The logo of German specialty chemical company Evonik Industrie AG is seen at their factory in Bitterfeld, Germany, February 29, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
GADANSK, September 15, 2011 – Germany’s Evonik Industries is working on ways to recycle lithium from electric car batteries and limit the need for crop fertilizers, part of an innovation that has already raised 1 billion euros ($998 million) in sales. 10 years to 2025.
At its innovation conference on Thursday, the specialty chemicals company said it sees electric vehicles, food production and meat testing as three areas of particular interest.
According to Evonik (EVKN.DE), up to 95% of the lithium in lithium-ion electric vehicle batteries is not recycled, mainly because of high costs.
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His solution, currently being tested on a pilot scale, uses an electrochemical process with a ceramic coating to increase the efficiency of the battery-grade lithium used in new cells.
Evonik specialists are confident that the ceramic coating process will be ready for the market in three to five years, he said.
For agriculture, the company is developing bacteria as a biostimulant to provide the nitrogen needed to grow crops like wheat and corn, rather than energy-intensive synthetic fertilizers.
“Our idea was to provide plants with nitrogen from the atmosphere through bacteria. If this idea succeeds, it will make a big contribution to sustainability,” said Jan Wolter, who leads the farm-to-fork division in Crevis, Evonik’s innovation department.
In the year The company says it will commercialize its first biostimulant formulations between 2025 and 2027.
In addition, it is working to increase consumer demand by deploying technology to help determine the origin and quality of chicken products.
Development work on the product, which uses an epigenetics and bioinformatics platform to test multiple animal welfare conditions, is well-developed and specific tests can be offered to customers in the short to medium term, Evonik said.
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Reporting by Carol Badhall Mark Potter Editing
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