Altilium, a UK-based clean technology group focused on supporting the transition to net zero, is pleased to announce that is has begun processing of lithium-ion battery waste at its new ACT 2 recycling facility in Plymouth, marking a significant milestone in the UK’s journey towards a circular economy for critical battery materials.
The cutting-edge facility, the first of its kind in the UK, marks the next phase of Altilium’s scale-up strategy, leading to megascale recycling at its planned ACT 4 plant in Teesside. Showcasing the company’s advanced EcoCathode™ process, it will be the only plant in the UK capable of producing large volumes of precursor cathode active materials (P-CAM) and cathode active materials (CAM) from recycled EV battery waste.
The 18,000 square foot facility has the capacity to process 300kg of black mass waste (the equivalent of one EV battery) per day, enabling production of high volumes of battery materials for qualification with automotive customers. This will include high-nickel NMC811 CAM for production of battery cells at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), for validation with a leading automotive OEM.
For the UK, the opening of the ACT 2 facility represents a critical step toward reducing our reliance on imported raw materials and developing a sustainable, domestic supply chain for the critical raw materials essential for EV manufacturing. As noted in a recent IEA report, battery recycling will be critical to meeting the growing demands of EV and energy storage deployment and reducing the need for mined materials, especially for those countries with limited domestic resources.
By recovering these critical minerals from end-of-life EV batteries and Gigafactory waste, Altilium is supporting the growth of a globally competitive battery supply chain in the UK, as well as minimizing the carbon footprint of battery manufacturing, making EVs even greener. An independent lifecycle analysis (LCA) has found that NMC532 cathode produced using Altilium’s recycled materials could be up to 74% lower in climate change impact compared to using primary mined materials from a Chinese supply chain.
Dr Christian Marston, President and COO of Altilium, commented: “This is a proud moment for Altilium and a major milestone for the UK’s circular economy. ACT 2 is not only a demonstration of our technological leadership but also of our commitment to building a sustainable future. With ACT 2 starting processing, we are closer than ever to realizing a domestic supply chain for EV battery materials, a critical component in achieving the UK’s industrial resilience.”The opening of the ACT 2 facility follows the successful demonstration of Altilium’s proprietary technology at its ACT 1 site in Tavistock. The EcoCathode™ process has been independently validated and proven in a scaled-up pilot operation, recovering over 95% of cathode metals from waste EV batteries, in a format that can be directly reused in battery manufacturing.
Furthermore, electrochemical testing of cells produced from Altilium’s recycled CAM has shown comparable rate and cycle performance with commercially available CAM used in today’s high-nickel NMC 811 batteries.
Altilium’s process begins with black mass leaching, where the shredded battery waste is dissolved in acid solutions to extract key metals, including lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. These critical materials are then separated and purified through solvent extraction, yielding battery-grade compounds. Finally, Altilium upcycles these recovered metals into high-nickel P-CAM, which is further synthesised into CAM – the most valuable component of a lithium-ion battery.
By recycling to high-value CAM, Altilium is fully closing the loop in the EV battery lifecycle, offering a complete end-to-end solution for automotive OEMs and battery manufacturers. This unique full battery circularity model encompasses the entire value chain, from EV battery collection, to black mass recycling and production of critical materials for supply to UK gigafactories.
According to forecasts from the Advanced Propulsion Centre, the UK will need over 150,000 tonnes of CAM a year by 2035, for the production of approximately 1.2 million EVs annually. Altilium’s ACT 4 plant will have the capacity to produce 30,000 tonnes of CAM a year, meeting 20% of that expected demand. The plant will also enable automotive OEMs to comply with stringent new EU battery regulations. By 2036, new EV batteries in the EU must include 12% recycled lithium, 5% recycled nickel and 26% recycled cobalt.
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 has now begun processing black mass, 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 Institutions Battery Challenge and the Automotive Transformation Fund. The company recently 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 battery-grade lithium.
For more information, go to www.altilium.tech
