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DGI plc
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=== Enhanced Battery Technology (EBT) === In its second business segment, which started in 2013, DGI PLC is developing fully-recyclable, sodiumion (Na-ion) batteries using anode active materials as a key enabling technology. The intention is to offer comparable or greater energy density to incumbent battery technologies at a lower cost and reduced environmental impact. The company is currently developing a safe and environmentally friendly storage cell using non-toxic and non-rare earth materials, with the target of the displacement of lithium batteries with a safe, non-toxic sustainable alternative. '''Background''' According to the International Energy Agency, global sales of electric vehicles increased by 41% to c.3 million in 2020. It estimates that the number of EVs registered around the world will increase from c.10 million today to 145 million in 2030. Meanwhile, an October 2021 report from Fortune Business Insights is looking for the global electric vehicle market to grow from a value of $287.36 billion in 2021 to $1.312 trillion in 2028, growing at a CAGR of 24.3%. The advancement of the electric vehicle market has had a knock on effect for lithium, with the metal being a core component of the lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries used to power electric vehicles. In fact, lithium-ion batteries have captured pretty much all of the EV market, as well as being used in many other technology applications. A July 2021 report from analysts at ResearchAndMarkets suggested that the global lithium-ion battery will grow from $41.1 billion in 2021 to $116.6 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 12.3%. While having their advantages, including having the high energy density that electric vehicles require, there are also many problems with Li-ion batteries. These mainly relate to high costs, fast ageing and sensitivity to high temperatures. The mining and use of the raw materials in the batteries has also come under criticism due to environmental and other ethical concerns. EVs themselves may be seen as being environmentally friendly but the way they are powered and constructed leaves a lot to be desired. For example, extracting the raw materials used in Li-ion batteries (including cobalt) requires large quantities of energy and water. This is especially so in the salt flats method of lithium production where it is estimated that 500,000 gallons of water is needed to produce one tonne of lithium. In addition, lithium batteries have low rates of recycling and their production involves the use of elements and chemicals which if leaked into the environment can prove toxic to both human and animal life. Processing the lithium-ion anode graphite, which is mainly derived by burning petroleum pitch, is a by-product of processing fossil fuels. All of this is helping to drive demand for cleaner and safer battery chemistries, including those based on sodium. One of the major advantages of sodium-ion batteries is their sustainability. Sodium is a much more abundant element in the Earth’s crust, amounting to 23,600 parts per million, or 35,000 ppm in sea water. This contrasts with lithium at only 20 ppm and lead at 14 ppm. What’s more, sodium supply is global while lithium production is primarily focussed on a small area in South America. Overall, sodium can be produced much more cheaply and sustainably than lithium and lead, both of which have lengthy, expensive and environmentally damaging production processes. Sodium-ion batteries have the added advantage that they can be discharged to zero volts, unlike lithium batteries where the copper current collectors start to dissolve. The presence of this undischarged stored energy creates a safety risk while in transit; with no risk, sodium is much safer to transport. While sodium-ion batteries are a number of years behind lithium-ion batteries in terms of technology, the general market belief is that sodium-ion, when fully developed, should be suitable for applications similar to those where lithium-ion batteries are currently deployed. In a recent article published by the American Chemical Society, author K.M Abraham stated: “We can foresee Na-ion batteries with hard-carbon anodes and cobalt-free cathodes as sustainable lower-cost alternatives to Li-ion batteries for applications such as short-range electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage (ESS) in a world that is increasingly being transformed to wind, solar, and hydroelectric power, which depend on battery energy storage for uninterrupted, around-the-clock, performance.” Source: ACS Energy Lett. 2020, 5, 11, 3544–3547. Publication Date: October 23, 2020 <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.0c02181</nowiki> '''Technology''' Based on its underlying materials development work DGI PLC has a core anode technology, used as a key enabling technology for sodium-ion batteries. Along with partners including the University of Southampton it has developed a high energy density anode material – an anode is the positive electrode in a battery through which a positive current of electricity flows, with the cathode being the opposite negative electrode. For its raw material, DG is working on processing an abundant source of bio-waste which currently goes to landfill. This adds to the company’s green credentials as it will have negative equivalent CO2 emissions, leading to the belief that the product will command a premium price. The company believes that its research has brought about a novel low energy processing methodology to synthesise a material for electrodes and provides cell-level storage density beyond that of lead acid batteries, and equivalent to lithium-ion phosphate cell performance. This research also provides advances in high-energy density capacitors (devices that store electrical energy physically in an electric field as opposed to chemically in a battery) and high-capacity sodium cells. These advances are also being incorporated into hybrid energy storage systems (HESS) aimed at combining higher power and energy density along with improved cyclability over current battery technology. EBT is currently at a Technology Readiness Level 3/4, implying that design rules have been established and lab based performance results demonstrate the viability of the technology. '''Applications & Projects''' In terms of initial target markets for EBT, sodium-ion is currently regarded as more suitable for stationary energy storage, for example from solar and wind energy production, given the increased weight of sodium over lithium – sodium’s atomic weight is more than three times higher than lithium. Here, DGI PLC believes its technology can offer cost, safety and environmental benefits over lithium. However, sodium-ion cells have exceeded the storage density of lead acid batteries by a factor of four times and have achieved the equivalent of lithium-ion phosphate battery performance of 140 Watt-hours per kilogram (Whr/kg). Therefore, the company also sees the potential for disrupting the electric vehicles market, which as previously stated, pretty much sees a 100% share of lithium-ion batteries. DGI PLC is also developing high-capacity advanced composite materials which it believes can take Sodium-ion beyond 200Wh/kg to compete with NMC (Nickel, Manganese, Cobalt) and NCA (Nickel, Cobalt, Aluminium) based lithium-ion cells. DGI PLC continues to seek to increase the performance of its cells through its ongoing materials research. To that end, it completed the building of a pilot scale pouch cell production line in early 2021 to allow the manufacture of A5 size cells for testing. During 2022 it intends to lease a second facility to provide additional space for its manufacturing and integration work. The company has stated that it is in collaboration and commercial contact with several companies throughout the supply chain with the view towards volume commercialisation in the medium-term. '''Other Products and Technology''' While DGI PLC’s focus is currently on the commercialisation of the EDT and EBT offerings discussed above, it also has a wider portfolio of technologies which it believes could also be monetised in the medium to longer term. These include novel supercapacitors, polymer film capacitors, advanced stabilised ring drives for marine applications, suspension systems and vacuum system enhancements.
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