Project Aims to Build ND’s Battery Supply Chain
The North Dakota Renewable Energy Program has recommended funding a $500,000 grant request from the University of North Dakota’s College of Engineering and Mines to advance domestic battery material production and strengthen the state’s role in critical minerals development. The proposal -titled “Empowering the Critical Minerals for Novel Cathode Materials-Based Batteries” -was also presented Tuesday by principal investigator Dr. Xiaodong Hou.
The $1 million project, led by UND’s Center for Process Engineering Research (CPER) in partnership with Packet Digital LLC, aims to create a closed-loop supply chain for advanced lithium-ion batteries used in drones and other renewable energy technologies. The effort would reduce U.S. reliance on foreign suppliers, particularly China, and leverage North Dakota’s growing expertise in critical minerals, rare earth elements, and energy innovation.
Dr. Hou outlined the project’s core objectives: developing lab-scale separation and purification processes for nickel and cobalt; synthesizing advanced cathode materials; designing pilot-scale production systems; and evaluating battery performance. The project also includes establishing a new Battery Materials Qualification and Testing Laboratory at UND to support continued research and workforce development.
~Western Dakota
Energy Association
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