The company recycled NMC batteries from two leading UK-based automotive OEMs.
by Prabhat Ranjan Mishra: A UK-based company has successfully recycled EV batteries and recovered over 97% of the lithium and 99% of the graphite. Altilium commenced its recycling operations for Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries in the UK.
The company’s EcoCathode technology recovered key material for reuse in new batteries.
Altilium assures that the process is highly efficient and not only strengthens the business model for recycling LFP batteries but also enables automotive OEMs to meet new regulatory targets and sustainability goals.
Rise of LFP batteries presents challenges for recyclers
“The rise of LFP batteries presents both challenges and opportunities for recyclers. At Altilium, we are pioneering solutions to ensure these batteries are not only recovered, but play a key role in the UK circular battery economy,” said Dr Christian Marston, Altilium COO.
“Our advanced EcoCathode technology allows us to efficiently extract lithium and graphite, making LFP recycling commercially viable and environmentally essential. By expanding our capabilities to process LFP alongside NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) batteries, we are strengthening the UK’s battery supply chain and supporting the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable transport sector.”
Reports have revealed that there’s a big surge in the demand for LFP batteries. According to the Advanced Propulsion Centre, their demand in the UK EV market is projected to increase from 18% in 2027 to 25% in 2035.
Altilium claims that this shift to LFP batteries presents a challenge for battery recyclers, as iron and phosphate are less valuable than nickel and cobalt. As a result, LFP batteries are currently less likely to be recycled. The UK-based firm is addressing this challenge by recovering more lithium, which is a high-value material, as well as recycling graphite, which can be reused in the production of new anodes.
EcoCathode processes end-of-life EV batteries
The company revealed that it’s recycling NMC batteries from two leading UK-based automotive OEMs, as well as Gigafactory production scrap, to produce modern high-nickel cathode active materials (CAM) at its ACT1 and ACT2 facilities in Devon, a county in South West England.
The company’s recently opened ACT2 recycling plant in Plymouth has the capacity to recover lithium and other battery metals from 300kg of black mass waste (the equivalent of one EV battery) per day, while its planned Teesside hub 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 and has been designed to handle a mixed feed of battery chemistries, including LFP.
Altilium’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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra Prabhat, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, is a tech and defense journalist. While he enjoys writing on modern weapons and emerging tech, he has also reported on global politics and business. He has been previously associated with well-known media houses, including the International Business Times (Singapore Edition) and ANI.
