Battery Recycling

UK-based battery recycling company Altilium and Connected Energy, a developer of second-life battery energy storage systems, have announced a strategic partnership. The aim is to extend the life of electric vehicle batteries and develop sustainable business models for recycling and reuse. Further details of the collaboration, such as a timeline, were not disclosed by the companies. Recycling Only After Second-Life Use Connected Energy is developing energy storage systems based on second-life electric vehicle batteries. By reusing EV batteries in stationary systems, the company aims to extend the life of the batteries by up to ten years. After this second life, the batteries can be recycled to recover valuable minerals.  Altilium focuses on this recycling and the production of cathode active materials for direct use in new batteries. According to the company, its proprietary recycling process recovers more than 95% of the battery metals, including lithium. These can be used directly in the production of new batteries. The company is currently planning its first industrial-scale recycling refinery in Teesside, UK. This facility is planned to be able to recycle used batteries from 150,000 electric vehicles per year and produce 30,000 tons of CAM. Source:https://altilium.tech/2024/07/08/altilium-and-connected-energy-collaborate-to-extend-the-lifecycle-of-ev-batteries/

Norwegian company Hydrovolt, a joint venture between Norsk Hydro and Northvolt, is planning to build a recycling plant in Hordain in northern France.

German chemical expert BASF and WHW Recycling have signed an agreement on processing cathode and anode waste from battery cell production.

Lithium Australia has signed a three-year agreement with Volvo Group Australiaʼs bus division on the exclusive recycling of electric and hybrid bus batteries.

Li-Cycle from Canada and Daimler Truck North America have announced a partnership to recycle lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles.

Redwood Materials collaborates with Ultium Cells in the recycling of waste from battery production in the USA. The materials stem from cathodes and anodes as well as cell scrap.

Kyburz from Switzerland and German drive supplier Vitesco Technologies intend to jointly industrialize an innovative recycling process for lithium-ion batteries.

Porsche, Bosch, the DeepTech&Climate Fonds and other investors are supporting Aachen-based recycling company “cylib” with a 55-million-euro funding round.

Munich-based start-up company “tozero” has begun delivering recycled lithium to its first commercial clients, claiming that its recycling process enables a recovery rate of over 80% for lithium and graphite.

Japan and Europe are set to collaborate on a battery recycling system to facilitate the exchange of information regarding mining sites and suppliers of minerals used in battery production. The system, scheduled to be introduced by 2025, aims to counter China’s dominance as a supplier of rare metals such as lithium. The tracing initiative seeks to prevent the outflow of these strategic rare materials from the regions and facilitate their reuse. Japan’s Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA), under the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, will sign a memorandum of understanding with European partners on Monday to facilitate information exchange and mutual certification. Japan and Europe already operate electronic platforms for managing information on electric vehicle batteries. Japan is advancing its industrial data platform named Ouranos Ecosystem, which is expected to involve around 50 companies, including automobile manufacturers such as Toyota Motor, Nissan Motor, and Honda Motor, as well as the battery joint venture between Toyota and Panasonic, Prime Planet Energy & Solutions. In Europe, the public-private data platform Catena-X is already operational, led by automotive manufacturers like BMW and the Mercedes-Benz Group. It is planned to connect Ouranos and Catena-X by 2025 with confidential information pertaining to Japanese companies’ core competencies, such as suppliers and procurement volumes, remaining undisclosed. The initiative’s main goal is to exchange information about the materials used in current batteries and enable their traceability to prevent outflow beyond their own territories. The European Union has decided to introduce regulations mandating the recycling of EV battery materials such as lithium and cobalt within the region. To comply with these regulations, “battery passports” like Catena-X and Ouranos are required to record and manage information along the entire supply chain, including the countries of origin of the materials, production history, recycling rate, and carbon dioxide emissions. The system will enable Japanese companies certified by Ouranos to be automatically certified in the EU. Source: https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Supply-Chain/Japan-Europe-to-link-industrial-data-platforms-for-EV-battery-materials