Process design, testing strategy, equipment selection and execution are deeply interconnected in capital-intensive process projects. Treating them as isolated steps can undermine even well-funded, well-staffed projects. Successful teams recognize that strategic process and project management play a decisive role. Speed to execution can be a priority, but it must be the outcome of disciplined upfront decisions, clear accountability and rigorous specification control.

Throughout my career, I have supported chemical and pharmaceutical projects achieve this by applying a systems-based approach to process definition, technology selection and project execution. The process involved using tools such as Responsible, Accountable, Supportive, Consulted, Informed, or RASCI, to assign accountability. In the RASCI approach, the responsible engineer is the one who is performing the task. The supportive and consulted engineers provide guidance, as necessary, while the accountable and informed levels ensure the overall project requirements are met, such as design, budget and schedule. 

In a complex project, each task may have multiple people from different organizations. A specification document index (SDI) for each task in the RASCI approach ensures coordination among the vendors and engineering companies to meet every process, mechanical, electrical and performance requirement. Since these projects are typically developed in-house, a holistic systems approach combined with strategic project management (SPM) reliably delivers success. SPM is the high-level control that includes the RASCI and SDI systems but adds the end-user objectives and specific process details such to ensure a full understanding of the process and project scope. 

However, the story for lithium-ion batteries is more complex for several reasons. First, the scope of responsibilities stretches across many players—from chemical suppliers, automotive OEMs, cell manufacturers with the different battery types to recyclers and refiners. In addition, geo-political external market forces and battery demand and supply chain shifts add volatility to the market, which impacts large-scale projects and foundational partnerships. 

The Anode and Electrolyte Challenge

Let’s first look at key materials for lithium-ion batteries, including anode and graphite, and how a holistic process-systems approach and SPM are beneficial. It’s important to first understand that this isn’t your consumer-grade, lead-pencil graphite. Battery-cell manufacturing requires something more like pharmaceutical-grade quality. Flake and graphite from natural mined ore from earth’s surface has a wide range of characteristics, such as carbon and ash content, particle size, density and hardness, and comes from countries far-off countries like Mozambique.

Once the ore arrives, it moves through a sequence of process steps beginning with milling to grind, shape and polish the raw flake. Purification follows, using solid-liquid separation, cake washing and drying, then coating, carbonization, sieving and magnetic separation before final bagging for the battery-cell manufacturer. Each of these steps creates an opportunity for contamination or off-spec material, and battery-grade graphite must meet a purity range measured in parts per billion. Consider particle size distribution (PSD) of graphite as an example. The battery-cell manufacturer specifies the PSD required for the cell, and SPM ensures every party understands that specification. Each upstream step must then produce an in-process PSD and testing regime that supports the desired result. The same logic applies to contamination specification detailed in the SPM process. Each upstream step's equipment is designed with the final quality target in mind.

Electrolytes add further complexity and require a systems approach to meet the quality required for cell manufacturing. The electrolytes from the chemical supplier are made up of three components: lithium salt, solvent and the additives. Each of the components will have a specification along with the overall mixture from the battery manufacturer, so the SPM communication will provide the necessary information. This is a tricky step as the intellectual property of the battery supplier is heavily based upon the electrolyte.   

The above discussion only focused on virgin material. If we add the use of recycled material, the results are even more complex, requiring much more coordination between battery pretreatment steps and the hydrometallurgical processes. 

Let’s look back at the graphite (anode material) example. The battery manufacturer bases the quality of the final battery on pure-virgin graphite. Recycled graphite may or will have a different quality than the virgin material. The recycled graphite must be validated either on its own or via blending with virgin material such that the final battery will have the same performance.  Validation on its own is tricky and could require one to two years of evaluation. If the blending approach is considered, chemical engineers know that blending of solids requires precise formulation ratio controls as well as considerations of blending equipment selection, possible aggregation of solids or changes in particle size or moisture. This complexity results in a separate project even before validation and battery performance can be evaluated. 

The above only focused on the anode material. The same steps are repeated with the remaining valuable components of lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese for the cathode material. 

Once again, the value of a holistic approach and SPM is evident as there are many other process steps and suppliers added into the picture. 

Going back to our initial hypothesis that the lithium-ion value chain is more complex than the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, the question remains is how to incorporate a holistic approach including SPM. The operating players in this market are beginning to understand that everyone must move from a localized circular environment to an integrated commercial ecosystem among chemical and battery feedstock suppliers, battery manufacturers, automotive OEMs, recyclers and refiners. The result will be guaranteed upstream and downstream cross-company partnerships to de-risk the scale-up in this multi-billion dollar marketplace.