Semplastics reveals new DioQuest venture

From its X-MAT subsidiary that turns coal into clean and efficient building materials to its X-BATT subsidiary that recycles spent lithium into new batteries, Semplastics has made a name for itself by reimagining waste streams as useful products. Now, this Florida-based company has added to its ranks an approach that benefits everything across the board.

DioQuest, the latest Semplastics enterprise, will employ a patent-pending process aimed at sequestering carbon dioxide and embedding it into a variety of its own products.

"At DioQuest, our technology not only allows large volumes of CO2 to be permanently locked away, but we are also able to take the waste streams and create sustainable products such as important building materials," said Semplastics CEO Bill Easter.

It is no secret that CO2 can be injected into various elements and industries to enhance yields or improve structures.

And DioQuest plans exactly that – making various recycled products stronger and more energy efficient with an injection of CO2 pulled from the atmosphere, a win-win.

You can read about carbon capture technology and how it can enhance various materials at Carbon upcycling to tackle climate issues in the May 27, 2020 edition of Metal Tech News.

Essentially, CO2 is pressurized until it becomes a liquid, and then it is injected into porous materials. Currently, prototype panels made from DioQuest have up to 30% by mass sequestered CO2. Although the exact numbers are not mentioned, any technology that can reduce carbon in the atmosphere can only be beneficial.

In its time, Semplastics has secured over $14 million in grants and contracts for its research and technologies with its portfolio of companies. With the latest addition, Semplastics appears to have a singular goal of providing new materials for buildings, performative products such as lithium-ion batteries, and now a general reduction of greenhouse gas.

"As the U.S. moves toward clean energy and a lower carbon future DioQuest can help," said Easter.

Award-winning X-BATT

In addition to the significant announcement of a new company to help alleviate climate concerns, Semplastics' X-BATT has won the Voltage Award from the Battery Innovation Center.

As a collaborative initiative aimed to accelerate the advanced battery market, the Battery Innovation Center has been bringing together commercial enterprises, renowned universities, government agencies, and industry leaders for the better part of a decade.

As for its Voltage Award, it signifies the recognition of an emerging company and technology that shows the highest potential to make a difference in batteries and electrification.

With each year increasing the demand for lithium-ion batteries by roughly 25%, resulting in a projected 14 times growth by 2030, X-BATT has shown its technology can help meet this demand in an eco-friendly way.

Using its patented technology, X-BATT refines impure recycled graphite, coal, and other carbon sources to support the domestic anode material supply chain, ultimately reducing the United States' reliance on foreign countries for the ever-growing need for critical materials necessary to meet the increased demand for electrification.

"What we are doing with this technology to support electric vehicle batteries is revolutionary," said the Semplastics CEO. "I expect that we will be able to use this technology to make a lasting impact across the lithium-ion battery industry especially as the demand for electric vehicles continues to expand."

Even now, X-BATT technology continues to evolve. With its Single Layer Pouch Cells, the company has accrued data that reflects over 2,000 cycles, outperforming cells containing industry-standard materials.

Currently, large format pouch cell testing is underway at BIC, and testing performance in 18650 Cylindrical Cells is scheduled by the end of 2022.

With plenty of waste material to scoop up and refine, Semplastics has a plethora of "resources" to capitalize on. With X-MAT turning waste into homes, X-BATT turning waste into energy, and DioQuest supplementing everything in between, Semplastics has created a trifecta of companies that create value through recovery rather than consumption.