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Altilium Achieves Milestone In EV Battery Recycling With Production Of Cam Matching Performance Of Commercial Materials

Altilium, a UK-based clean technology group focused on supporting the transition to net zero, has today announced a major breakthrough in the development of the UK’s only domestic supply of sustainable low-carbon battery materials, with test results confirming for the first time that its recycled cathode active materials (CAM) are comparable to commercial materials.

 

Altilium Achieves Milestone In EV Battery Recycling With Production Of Cam Matching Performance Of Commercial Materials f

The results mark a significant milestone in the development of a sustainable domestic supply chain for EV batteries in the UK, positioning recycled materials as a competitive alternative to mined sources.

Recycling old EV batteries and production scrap looks set to play a significant role in alleviating the shortage of raw materials needed for the energy transition and reducing the environmental impact of battery production. However, little work has been done to date to show the performance of recycled materials can match commercial materials.

Now, results from electrochemical testing of cells produced from Altilium’s recycled CAM at its ACT1 facility in Devon have shown comparable rate and cycle performance with commercially available CAM used in today’s high-nickel NMC 811 batteries. The cycle cell capacity of Altilium’s recycled CAM reached 193 mAh.g⁻¹ in testing, aligning closely with the 190-194 mAh.g⁻¹ range typical for commercial CAM, showing its equivalency. Battery cycle testing, a vital step in the design and validation phases, involves repeated charge and discharge cycles to confirm a material’s reliability and lifespan.

In addition, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the structure of Altilium’s CAM remains indistinguishable from commercial variants. XRD is a non-destructive and versatile technique that can be used to monitor a wide range of parameters, including phase composition, crystallite size and orientation of a material. These results highlight the capability of Altilium’s recycled CAM to deliver both quality and sustainability to the EV battery market. 

Dr Christian Marston, Altilium co-founder and COO, commented: 

“With these results, Altilum has shown recycled battery metals can perform as well as virgin metals and that critical minerals are essentially the same whether they come from a mine or an old EV battery. Our recycled CAM not only matches but can even exceed the performance of traditional materials. We have shown there is no need to compromise on performance, with the additional sustainability benefits of using recycled Materials.”

The CAM was produced as part of a collaborative research project backed by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC23). Atlilium is the only company in the UK producing CAM from recycled materials for production and qualification of new EV batteries. The company’s EcoCathode™ process is able to recover over 95% of the critical metals, including lithium, from spent batteries, before upcycling and re-engineering them to produce modern battery chemistry materials. 

CAM is a critical component in an EV battery and is key to determining safety, durability and range. Currently, almost all the world’s CAM is produced in Asia with no manufacturing in the UK. Building domestic capacity for production of these battery materials will be critical for the future of the UK’s automotive sector as its makes the transition to EVs. According to the Advanced Propulsion Centre, the UK automotive industry will need 153,000 tonnes of CAM a year by 2035, for production of over one million EVs annually.

Altilium is now working with the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) to produce battery cells using its recycled CAM, for validation with a leading automotive OEM. By scaling up domestic CAM production and demonstrating its manufacturability at scale, Altilium is supporting the development of a circular economy for battery materials and paving the way for a more sustainable EV industry. 

Beyond these material engineering capabilities, the Altilium EcoCathode™ process is also more efficient and environmentally friendly than traditional cathode manufacturing processes. A recent lifecycle analysis found that CAM produced using Altilium’s process could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 74%, compared to primary raw materials from a Chinese supply chain.

About Altilium

Altilium is a UK-based clean tech group that will reshape the UK and European automotive supply chain by offering high volume, low carbon domestic sources of cathode and anode materials from recycling waste streams already in circulation, such as end-of-life batteries.

The company’s proprietary EcoCathode™ process converts end-of-life EV batteries and manufacturing scrap into domestic, sustainable, battery precursors, cathode active materials (CAM) and cathode precursor (pCAM) for direct reuse in new batteries.

Altilium’s first mini-commercial plant is currently under construction in Plymouth while its planned Teesside plant will be one of the largest EV battery recycling facilities in Europe. The plant will have the capacity to process scrap from over 150,000 EVs per year, producing 30,000 MT of CAM, enough to meet around 20% of the UK’s expected needs by 2030.

Altilium’s growth has been supported by a number of UK government innovation awards, including grants from the Faraday Battery Challenge and the Automotive Transformation Fund. The company completed its Series A funding round with a multi-million pound investment from SQM Lithium Ventures, the corporate venture arm of the lithium business of Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM), one of the world’s leading producers of lithium. 

For more information, go to altilium.tech 

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Owain Griffiths

Owain Griffiths

Head of Circular Economy at Volvo Cars

Owain joined Volvo Cars in June 2021 to lead Circular Economy in the Global Sustainability Team. The company has committed to being a circular business by 2040 and has financial, recycled content and CO2 based targets for 2025, all of which Owain is working across the company to make happen. Owain previously worked for circular economy consultancy Oakdene Hollins where he advised businesses on evidence led circular economy implementation. 

Turning into a circular business and the importance of vehicle reuse and recycling.

The presentation will cover the work Volvo Cars is doing to achieve 2025 but mainly focus on the transformational work towards 2040 and the business and value chain changes being considered. Attention will be paid to the way vehicles are being dealt with at the end of life and the complexities of closing material and component loops. Opportunities and challenges which Volvo Cars is facing will be presented including engagement with 3rd parties and increasing pressure from stakeholders.

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e2e Total Loss Vehicle Management [e2e] is the UK’s only salvage and automotive recycling network with nationwide, environmentally compliant sites delivering performance resilience and service reliability to the insurance and fleet markets.  The network’s online salvage auction www.salvagemarket.co.uk drives strong salvage resale values and faster sales.  e2e’s salvage clients have access to the network’s stocks of over 5 million quality graded, warranty assured reclaimed parts. 

The power of the network model means e2e has the ability to influence industry standards and is committed to continually raising the bar whilst redefining the role and perceived value of the salvage operator.  Network members adhere to robust service level agreements, against which they are audited, in order to ensure performance consistency and a market leading customer experience.  

The salvage and recycling operating environment is evolving rapidly, and e2e is anticipating, listening and responding to changing market needs.  Regulatory compliance, ESG, reclaimed parts, customer experience, EVs, new vehicle technologies, data and reputation risk are just some of many considerations linked to the procurement of salvage services.  e2e will drive further added value to clients and members through the adoption and application of emerging technologies, continuing to differentiate its proposition and position salvage services as a professional partnership. 

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