In a UK first, Altilium Metals recently announced that it has successfully produced Cathode Active Materials (CAM), the key component in the production of lithium-ion batteries, recovered from end-of-life EV battery scrap at its state-of-the-art recycling demonstration line in Devon. The first samples have been delivered to Imperial College London, where the materials will be analysed under a joint research programme partly funded by the UK government’s Automotive Transformation Fund.
Under the programme, Altilium Metals will collaborate with Imperial to compare the electrochemical performance of the recycled cathode materials with commercially manufactured cathodes made from mined raw materials. The CAM will be analysed in coin cells and single layer pouch cells, like those used to power the popular Nissan Leaf EV, which is manufactured in the UK.
The work done with Imperial is part of a wider qualification of Altilium Metals’ recycled CAM to demonstrate that batteries produced with recycled materials can match the performance of those produced using virgin raw materials. The research is being supported by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) under their Automotive Transformation Fund. It was one of 22 projects to receive funding through the APC’s Scale-Up Readiness Validation (SuRV) competition last year.
Altilium Metals CTO, Dr Christian Marston, commented:
“Cathode Active Material (CAM) is key to electric vehicle battery performance and the production of lithium-ion cells starts with high quality materials. At our EV Battery Recycling Technology Centre we are using advanced materials science to re-engineer and upcycle old battery scrap to produce new and relevant cathode active materials, giving full battery circularity to our customers and reducing the UK’s dependency on overseas supply chains.”
Professor Magda Titirici, Chair in Sustainable Energy Materials at Imperial’s Department of Chemical Engineering, added:
“We are excited to be working with Altilium Metals on the very important issue of creating a circular battery supply chain, which will make a significant contribution towards achieving the UK’s net zero goals. As well as testing the recycled cathode materials, our research team will be working to optimise their performance to the same or even higher levels as cathodes made from virgin metals.”
Working alongside Professor Titirici on the project is Dr. Anna Hankin, leader of the Electrochemical Systems Laboratory research group in Chemical Engineering, and co-lead of Imperial’s Electrochemistry Network.
Dave Ketcher, Project Delivery Lead, Advanced Propulsion Centre, commented:
“This is an exciting step forward in the challenge to improve the critical materials supply for the electrification of vehicles. The programme also demonstrates the benefits of sustainable end-of- life battery recycling, which will drive the circular economy for these battery materials whilst reducing the UK’s dependency on overseas supply chains.
“I look forward to receiving confirmation that the CAM produced with recycled materials matches the performance of those produced using virgin raw materials.”
CAM is the key raw material in the production of EV batteries and is comprised of critical metals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt. Currently the UK is dependent on the global market for these raw materials, with China accounting for 60-70% of the refining of lithium and cobalt found in batteries. Such concentration of supply makes the UK vulnerable to disruption from geopolitical events, while the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors associated with the mining of raw materials are also becoming a growing concern for the EV industry.
By recycling these metals from domestic battery waste, Altilium Metals is able to offer battery producers a low carbon, sustainable source of battery materials that reduces the need for lithium, nickel and cobalt mining, thus preserving natural resources and helping to support the UK’s transition to net zero.
Altilium Metals CEO, Kamran Mahdavi, commented:
“We have to electrify transport to have any chance of getting to net zero. That is not going to happen without large volumes of critical metals and our approach is to recover these in a sustainably way from existing waste streams promoting a circular economy. We have to build the recycling infrastructure and it needs to be done now.”
Altilium Metals is currently the only company in the UK recovering critical minerals from end-of- life EV battery waste and has recently completed a feasibility study for the development of the UK’s largest planned EV battery recycling facility, to be located in Teesside. The plant will have the capacity to process scrap from over 150,000 EVs per year, producing 30,000 MT of CAM. According to the APC, over 150,000 MT of CAM will be needed annually by 2030, to support the production of EVs in the UK.
About Altilium Metals
Altilium Metals is a UK based clean tech group that will reshape the UK and European automotive supply chain by offering high volume, domestic and low carbon sources of cathode and anode materials from recycling waste streams already in circulation, such as mining waste and end-of-life batteries.
In 2022, the company opened its Electric Vehicle Battery Technology Centre in Devon, to deepen and strengthen its competitive edge in the recycling of lithium-ion batteries. The scale-up processing line will provide the company with data to make informed decisions on materials handling, scalability and product quality at its planned Teesside recycling plant. It also owns a SX-EW hydrometallurgical plant on the largest copper mine waste resource in Eastern Europe and is currently developing the facility to recycle battery waste from 24,000 EVs starting end of 2023.
For more information, go to www.altlium-metals.com
