Krefeld-based Accurec has opened a new plant for the recycling of lithium. According to the company, it is the first facility in Europe capable of recovering lithium from all types of such batteries. The plant is based on a thermochemical process that reportedly requires less energy and fewer resources than existing processes.
Almost complete recovery
The manufacturer claims that the process branded as “CLIMA” enables a recovery rate of more than 99 percent. Accurec reports that its process chain has been implemented on an industrial scale by its own engineering team. As part of the EarLi research project, Accurec and the chemical company Evonik developed an additional process step to further improve the lithium yield. Accurec plans to scale up the new technology to double the quantities recovered as soon as the necessary approvals are obtained.
