UK company Altilium Metals has developed a game-changing technology to recycle electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
Achieving over 95% efficiency in recovering critical battery minerals, Altilium’s recycling process sets a new global benchmark. With backing from the UK government, the company is rapidly scaling up operations to become Europe’s largest EV battery recycler.
Altilium’s breakthrough hydrometallurgical recycling system extracts high yields of vital lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese from spent EV batteries.
This efficiency significantly reduces the need for environmentally damaging mining of virgin materials. By creating a domestic circular supply chain, Altilium’s recycling technology aligns with the UK’s strategy for securing critical mineral supplies while promoting a zero-carbon future.
As we discussed in our piece on how long EV batteries last, closed-loop battery recycling and reuse is seen as crucial for minimising the long-term environmental impact of EVs.
Altilium Metal’s “full battery circularity” model will be a unique customer offering in the UK, encompassing EV battery collection from the end user, black mass recycling, and chemical refining to produce battery-ready cathode active material (CAM) for reuse in a domestic battery materials supply chain.
The company’s planned Teesside plant aims to produce over 20% of the UK’s required CAM by 2030, positioning it as one of the largest industrial projects in the region. With this closed-loop recycling process, Altilium seeks to establish a sustainable national source of critical battery components.
This growth is spurring job creation and apprenticeships, especially in its southwest England base. By 2026, the company projects its operations will employ 250 people and sustainably recover battery minerals from over 150,000 EVs.
A new factory planned for Teesside will remanufacture recycled materials into cathode active material, a key battery component.
Breakthroughs in EV battery recycling herald a future of efficient resource recovery. Its rapid expansion will establish the UK as a leader in ethical and environmentally sound critical mineral supply chains.
You can find out more here.
