In STREAMS, AETC will beneficiate the graphite from the Chilalo project as well as from recycled black mass, and will also prepare Si/C composites, delivering all these components and intermediates to the STREAMS consortium (Work Package 2 and 5).
Meet the faces behind the project
- Dr. Maya L. Barsukov is a key member of the team at American Energy Technologies Co. She holds a Ph.D. in materials science and is an expert in computer-assisted modeling. In 2008, Dr. Maya L. Barsukov led a team of 20 technology experts in the DOD Wearable Power Prize Competition, developing a 100Ah Li/CFx battery designed to support a soldier on a continuous 4-day mission. She has also developed powdered metal compositions of Tungsten, Iron, and Nickel as alloys for armor-piercing bullet penetrators. In 2010-2011, she developed an external carbon coating for electrical dry suits used by SOCOM divers. At American Energy Technologies Co., Dr. Maya L. Barsukov heads the material processing test work and plant-wide control automation design and integration projects. AETC will play a crucial role in processing and developing advanced graphite materials. One of the primary sources of graphite for the STREAMS project comes from the Chilalo natural resource in Tanzania. STREAMS consortium partner, EV1, has processed this natural graphite-bearing rock to a minimum required purity, with a broad particle size range. Under the management of Dr. Maya L. Barsukov, AETC will beneficiate the graphite from Chilalo and other candidate resources, delivering battery-ready natural graphite anodes and intermediates to the STREAMS consortium. This activity will contribute to deliverables D5.1 and D6.1.
Separately, AETC will create composite particles with a graphite sphere containing nanosized, non-carbon-coated silicon provided by a consortium partner, Nano-Pow. The nanocrystalline silicon particles will be fully encapsulated by graphite, which will then undergo carbon-coating with a layer of soft carbon. The most promising materials will be supplied to AIT and eventually to Tübitak for incorporation into 10 Ah batteries. This task will contribute to deliverable D5.3.
Additionally, under Dr. Maya L. Barsukov’s supervision, AETC will utilise its innovative, world-class ultra-high temperature graphitisation technology to process biochar generated by GLOCK Ges.m.b.H. of Ferlach, Austria, represented in the Consortium by GLOCK Technology GmbH. This industrial partner, known for its advanced metallurgical technologies for precision handgun manufacturing, will provide biochar that AETC will convert into battery-ready synthetic graphite with target emissions of less than 1.0 kg CO2 per kg of carbon. Following graphitisation, the material will undergo grinding, sizing, and classification for conversion into an electrical conductivity additive for new battery cathodes and anodes. This task will contribute to deliverable D5.1.
“I am very pleased that the start of European Commission’s Project STREAMS coincided with American Energy Technologies Co’s (AETC) 15-year anniversary and with the formal announcement of the opening of AETC’s brand-new, state-of-the-art, dedicated energy systems and industrial graphite & carbon processing facility located in Wheeling, IL, USA. The new facility formally commenced operations on January 3rd of 2024, three days after the official start of STREAMS. AETC’s investment in this location began in 2021 with a complete renovation of the existing industrial building, which had stood vacant for over three years. In addition to full renovation of the original building, an entirely new building was constructed as part of a new addition, working closely with a cohort of trusted contractors and the Village of Wheeling in a Justice40 underserved community of greater Chicago.
A top-of-the-line processing facility in the advanced green energy segment of batteries, materials, and specialty systems markets is now housed in the new and renovated manufacturing plant which now contributes, among other exciting initiatives, to European Union’s green energy independence in the EV battery and energy storage for wind and solar utilities space. The plant has a nameplate capacity of 250 tons of battery-ready graphite per year (TPY) with our company planning to expand to 7,500 TPY by the end of the decade. We are excited to work partners of STREAMS, The European Commission and the Battery 2030+ initiative, which STREAMS is an integral part of, and which seeks to make Europe a world-leader in the development and production of the batteries of the future.
Lastly, I’d like to make a special mention of the fact that besides AETC’s active participation in STREAMS as a Consortium Member, our organisation started three commercial industrial contracts with partners of STREAMS: ISPE (via STCU), UNE and as of recently, with two research groups at AIT. We are glad we are able to segway from our initial acquaintances in STREAMS to bi-lateral commercial activity in the field of Science & Technology partnerships on the sidelines of the European Commission’s Horizon projects.”
- Emily Schmidt serves as the Business Development Representative and Project Manager at AETC. In her role as the project manager for STREAMS, she facilitates communication between AETC and the other organisations involved in the project. She organises and presents data generated by the AETC team during the recycling and processing of batteries, creating cohesive presentations for WP and Plenary Meetings. Additionally, Emily assists in the development of a life cycle assessment for AETC.
“I’m so glad I get to play a role in this innovative STREAMS project and work with all the highly reputable organizations on the STREAMS Consortium. We are the only people in this project working on a direct-recycling approach of Li-ion batteries and I am very excited to see the end results, especially the increase in efficiency, the domestic supply aspect and circularity of electric vehicles. This really is a revolutionary project that will have a beneficial effect on our environment and will demonstrate supply chain safety for EV batteries.”
- Mansoor Qureshi is Industrial Chemist who plays a crucial role in the recycling of batteries at AETC. He is responsible for much of the groundwork in preparing materials that are further processed into anodes, cathodes, and separators by various partners in the STREAMS Consortium.
- Karenna Pletcher is Chemical Engineer. In STREAMS, she works on battery cell testwork in qualifying processed and beneficiated graphite and I am also working with WP7 and WP8 Consortium partners of Enviva and Imperial Assisting with LCA and Circularity Assessments.
- Anna Doninger is Government Manager. Her role often requires careful supervision of all active federal contracts. She ensures that reports and project updates are assembled and submitted in a timely fashion, and she also participates in writing federal funding proposals and purchase orders related to a given contract. She helped secure the presence of government officials at a recent event hosted by AETC and maintains contact with legislative offices regarding the work done at AETC. Besides keeping track of federal contracts, she also has extensive laboratory training and can occasionally be found performing tests and experiments in the lab, working on commercial business. In STREAMS, Anna will be working on AETC’s life cycle, circularity, and socioeconomic assessments related to AETC technologies, which will be identified by the Consortium as worthy of scaling up. Having experience in researching a comprehensive LCA for a commercial customer in the past, she will assist project members in explaining their processes and providing all necessary information to produce an accurate assessment. She looks forward to seeing how their recycling process and the “inverted flow sheet” technology in graphite processing develop.
“I am very much looking forward to working with all
institutions and companies involved in this venture, and can’t wait to see what we’re all able to create together.”
About AETC
American Energy Technologies Company (AETC) is a woman-owned, privately held business concern which conducts operations out of the greater Chicago area, Illinois, USA. In its Arlington Heights, IL facility AETC operates three business units: a manufacturing plant producing battery-ready graphites and carbons, a pilot demonstration facility for battery materials and graphite dispersions, and a fully-functional research and development laboratory supporting the above business units. AETC is responsible for preparing black mass from NMC and LFP cells.
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