Analyzing this solvent, which is essential in the manufacture of electric vehicle batteries, requires extremely sophisticated analysis. With this new laboratory, Dislaub can now verify 100% compliance with its customers' specifications in this strategic and rapidly growing market. A unique offering in France!
Gigafactories producing batteries for electric vehicles use N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) to manufacture the cathodes of the batteries. During use, this solvent becomes contaminated with impurities, posing a dilemma for manufacturers: either buy new NMP, often from distant Asian producers who largely dominate this market, or recycle their used product for reuse.
The second option has the advantage of significantly reducing the carbon footprint and consumption of raw materials, but it requires unprecedented analytical precision. Even the slightest trace of metal in the NMP can eventually cause battery performance losses.
Our new laboratory, which has been in operation since July, is analyzing the NMP of our first customer. Others will be entrusting us with part of their production by the end of the year. These partnerships validate our positioning in this rapidly expanding market.
“These analyses are the most advanced we have ever carried out, even for pharmaceutical applications,” emphasizes Eric Calvet, director of Dislaub. “We can now detect traces of aluminum, iron, vanadium, and cobalt down to one billionth of a gram!” This level of precision is unique in France and rare in Europe, and also addresses the issue of sovereignty in the face of Asia's virtual monopoly in this strategic sector.
Two machines, unique expertise
This laboratory is equipped with various equipment including two state-of-the-art devices: an ion chromatograph to detect ionic impurities, and an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) capable of measuring at the billionth level.
“Having the machine is not enough; you have to master the techniques that allow you to distinguish tiny traces of metal in the midst of the majority NMP molecule,” explains Eric Calvet. It is precisely this capacity for analytical innovation, developed over 30 years on other products, that Dislaub is now applying to NMP. “We are inventors of methods; we create tailor-made protocols for each new analytical challenge.”
The laboratory layout required a complete redesign of the space. It was necessary to install a network of specialized gases (argon, helium) essential for the operation of the machines, reinforce the air conditioning, add cooling systems, and consolidate the workbenches to support this imposing equipment.
Ultimately, this technical investment, coupled with the expertise of our teams, allows us to fully adapt to our customers' needs. First and foremost, we guarantee 100% compliance with their specifications, including metal traces. But we can also, if necessary, support them at different stages of their processes to control the quality of the NMP they use.
This concrete added value is already bearing fruit: contacts are multiplying with other players in the sector, both European and international, who are looking for reliable partners for NMP recycling. “In this sector, news travels fast,” notes Éric Calvet. “This new expertise we offer is already well known. Customers naturally come to us.”