Report flags lack of UK automotive battery recycling
A new report is highlighting the lack of large scale automotive battery recycling in the UK.
The Battery End of Life Recycling value chain report from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) takes an in-depth look at the UK’s preparedness for the growing demand for managing critical materials supply.
The next few years will be challenging as only a small number of facilities will be commercially viable, it says, with some significant risk in the supply of material to recycle. However it expects this capacity to ramp up over the next 20 years, providing an opportunity that government, OEMs and private investors can take advantage of through supporting R&D and initial plant deployments.
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Battery End of Life Recycling value chain
The UK has no hydrometallurgical capacity and no Cathode Active Materials production at time of writing this report. Ideally, the recycling processes would be aligned from hydrometallurgy through to CAM. Going from black mass to CAM, multiplies the value of the material. Investing in hydrometallurgy and CAM facilities in the UK would enable this revenue to stay here, onshoring critical materials for UK battery manufacturing.
The UK currently has some capacity to produce black mass and this capacity is growing with projects like RECOVAS underway. However, this is predominately exported to undergo pyrometallurgical recovery. As it stands, the best prices for black mass are found in Asia, so UK-produced black mass can undertake a considerable journey before being recycled.
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The report examines the current landscape including existing capabilities, risks and opportunities across the battery end of life recycling value chain and illustrates the path of reuse and recycling, highlighting which materials can be recovered and at which point in their lifecycle.
It looks at current hydrometallurgy capacity and emphasises the need for further expansion to prevent critical materials being processed offshore and highlights innovative new technologies that are being introduced to reuse batteries and even provide a second or third life.
Automotive-Battery-End-of-Life-Value-Chain; www.apcuk.co.uk
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