ARPA-E is offering a Grant for Advancing Circularity in the Domestic Battery Supply Chain

Program and FOA Description for Grants.gov:

Request for Information (RFI)DE-FOA-0003027: Achieving Circularity of the Domestic Battery Supply Chain

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research program focused on achieving a circular and domestic battery supply chain for various types of electric vehicles including scooters, cars, buses, trucks, trains, ships, and aircrafts. A circular battery supply chain keeps materials and products in circulation at their highest level of performance for as long possible. It is based on a system-level approach that minimize material use, waste, and emissions through the selection of regenerative materials and sustainable designs and manufacturing processes of parts and products. From an economic standpoint, it aims to manage supply chain risks and recover lost manufacturing value.

The potential program is not concerned with supplies of critical minerals or with existing battery recycling processes. Instead, it focuses on alternative strategies that can be implemented to achieve circularity including servicing, upgrading, refurbishing, and remanufacturing of batteries. The primary goals are (1) to identify materials (e.g., electrode materials, electrolytes, adhesives) amenable to in-cell regeneration to prolong the life of batteries, (2) to develop sustainable design and manufacturing of battery cells, modules, and packs that facilitate serviceability, disassembly, refurbishing, and recovery of materials and/or components at the end of life, and (3) to minimize waste, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions during the battery lifecycle. Such transformation should be achieved without affecting the performance and safety of the battery packs. ARPA-E is seeking information at this time regarding transformative and implementable technologies that can:

(a) Extend the life of battery materials, cells, modules, and/or pack through regeneration, servicing or maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, and remanufacturing. Examples include selection of electrode materials that can be regenerated through thermomechanical, chemical, and/or electrochemical treatments,

(b) Develop designs and manufacturing processes for cells, modules and packs that can be easily disassembled to enable servicing, reuse, refurbishing, or remanufacturing, and

(c) Minimize the overall amount of waste generated, energy consumed, and greenhouse gas emitted throughout the battery manufacturing, servicing, and recycling processes. Examples include designs that avoid permanent bonding or any fabrication that requires destructive disassembly (e.g., shredding).

To view the RFI in its entirety, please visit https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov.