The emerging lithium economy: economic drivers, mining practices and battery recycling overview.

Description:
Technological breakthroughs in energy storage is propelling the transformative transition from hydrocarbon sources to clean energies. The increased demand of energy storage is driving significant academic and industrial efforts to improve rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBS). We examine the economic drivers and manufacturing and recycling practices associated with LIBS. This includes a review of the industrial processes used in the present mining and purification of lithium. The fundamental limitation of available raw materials required for LIBS demands a shift toward sustainable batteries. We briefly provide an overview of the current design features of lithium batteries and the corresponding recycling practices and challenges. This general overview of the mining, production and recycling lifecycle of lithium batteries provides a necessary context to understand the impact that atomic and vibrational spectroscopic techniques continue to have in understanding the complex material characterization needs of this industry.

Speaker: peter larkin - Solvay/Technology Solutions
Peter Larkin received his Ph.D from the University of Pittsburgh in 1990 from Sanford Asher employing resonance Raman and vibrational circular dichroism to study heme proteins. Since that time, he has worked in analytical departments both in the specialty chemical and pharmaceutical industries using vibrational spectroscopic techniques to solve industrial problems.
While at American Cyanamid/Cytec Industries Stamford, CT labs, . Peter presently leads the spectroscopy, thermal analyses and chromatography groups at Solvay R&I in Stamford CT and continues to focus his efforts on vibrational spectroscopy. He has published and presented extensively and his book, entitled IR and Raman Spectroscopy: Principles and Spectral Interpretation, second edition (Elsevier) was published in November 2017.

Peter has been a long time member of both (SAS) and the Coblentz society. He is presently the president for SAS (2023).