Dr. Steve Sloop is the President and founder of OnTo Technology.  Steve earned his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from Oregon State University; Corvallis, Oregon; and has been a Postdoctoral Scientist; Lawrence Berkely National Laboratory.  Batteries and Energy Storage Technology reports in 2022 that Steve is the 2nd most prolific patent author, worldwide, with 9 families in recycling.  These priority patent families teach direct-cathode recycling technologies (cathode-healing™) for producing high-value cathodes from scrap batteries and how to eliminate battery characteristic hazards through a concept known as deactivation.  The Defense Logistics Agency SBIR program supported OnTo’s demonstration of deactivation of batteries widely used in defense applications. Additional technical milestones were achieved through OnTo’s Made-in-America Battery Recycling Prize, for third party verification that deactivated batteries are indeed dead and will not catch fire.  The research developed the safety feature of battery deactivation. The implication of deactivation is improved operational risk management within the defense industrial base (e.g. US Transcom and DLA AORs).  The deactivation benefit is elimination of over half the cost of battery recycling due to management of material that might catch fire.  Generally, the lithium battery market increases with a CAGR > 28%; creative defense applications, also, are increasing rapidly.  With such growth, a (dual purpose) deactivation management tool is necessary for both defense and civilian applications.  The next phase of development is minimum viable product of deactivation to serve a CONUS base.  Dr. Sloop will discuss battery deactivation and cathode-healing for safety and efficiency in the growing industry.

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