Aepnus Technology
Assembly Line
Electrolysis helps resolve battery production’s waste issue
Sodium sulphate is a by-product resulting from the use of sulfuric acid and caustic soda during the refinement of critical metals for manufacturing common cathodes, including nickel-manganese-cobalt. It is also created during battery recycling—the Argonne National Lab’s EverBatt model estimates that 800kg is produced per 1,000kg of battery materials processed. Sodium sulphate does have limited commercial use, but the uptick in EV battery production means that responsibly disposing of greater quantities becomes difficult.
The potential for cleaner electrified chemical processing, Hackl adds, has “massive” potential. “There are many different ways to approach this in automotive—from green hydrogen to carbon capture—but we wanted to pick the area that addressed the actual problems of suppliers today.” As such, in 2021, Hackl and Akuzum co-founded Aepnus Technology—as Chief Executive and Chief Technology Officer, respectively—to reduce emissions in battery supply chain chemicals through ultra-efficient electrolysis.
Aepnus Technology’s solution was to develop a new electrolyser—a stack of metal electrodes separated by membranes and fed aqueous feedstocks, which are then turned into desired chemical products through the application of electricity. “This is how we can take sodium sulphate and transform it back into the two chemical reagent workhorses of the battery industry: sulfuric acid and caustic soda,” explains Hackl. Essentially, the company takes what was formerly a waste product bound for landfill and reintroduces its constituent parts to the supply chain.