Global leader in sustainable materials, EMR, has invested to acquire a significant stake in Australian-owned Renewable Metals, as part of a deal which will see a novel demonstration-scale battery shredding and critical minerals refining plant built in the UK.
Renewable Metals have developed a highly differentiated recycling process which has fewer steps than existing recycling routes for lithium-ion batteries. This process can deliver higher recovery rates without producing sodium sulfate and is better suited to handling the variability in chemistry of end of life Li-Ion batteries. The two-stage process takes discharged battery modules, with the shredding and refining steps yielding LME grade nickel and copper, as well as cobalt, lithium and manganese salts, all of which can go directly back into the battery supply chain.
As part of a multi-million deal, EMR – the largest end-of-life vehicle recycler in the UK – will commit end-of-life batteries to the state-of-the-art, large demonstrator plant and it will be built at EMR’s R&D complex in Birmingham which is already permitted to handle end of life automotive battery packs. The facility will be able to process automotive, e-mobility (such as e-bikes and e-scooters), industrial, domestic and portable lithium-ion batteries.
This investment will allow EMR to deliver, at demonstrator scale, a truly circular solution for the recycling of lithium-ion batteries in the UK, enabling material from end-of-life batteries to be used back in new products.
This deal forms part of EMR’s long-term commitment to innovation and to developing world-leading technologies for recycling end-of-life vehicles (ELV) including Electric Vehicles (EV) and batteries.
The new facility is due to be operational in the first half of 2025, subject to permitting approvals.
The technology used at the plant will deliver a lower carbon, more environmentally friendly solution for lithium-ion battery material recovery, significantly reducing the quantity of byproducts and consumption of chemicals used in their processing.
Roger Morton, Managing Director for Technology, and Innovation at EMR, said:
“We’re delighted to finalise this agreement with Renewable Metals, with whom we have developed a fantastic relationship.
“The team behind Renewable Metals have a world class reputation in this field developed over many years, so we are thrilled to be working together with them on this exciting project.
“EV battery recycling is a challenge we are working extremely hard to deliver and that is exactly what we’re doing here.
“This investment fits perfectly with EMR’s global strategy to deliver more sustainable materials for the UK and European automotive industry.
“Renewable Metals’ technology is a highly cost-effective and scalable solution which fits into our broader long-term global strategy for this market, where we are actively developing multiple new collaborations. The team at EMR can’t wait to see Renewable Metals ramp up their production over the next year.”
Luan Atkinson, CEO of Renewable Metals, said:
“We’re incredibly excited to have the opportunity to demonstrate the cost and environmental advantages of our technology at a larger scale, and looking forward to a future in the UK with EMR.”
The recycling of EV batteries is an essential element in creating a low carbon impact circular supply chain for electric vehicles, as the industry prepares for their widespread uptake over the next decade.
EMR is committed to solving the challenges of tomorrow and is investing in ways to tackle the global recycling challenge of EV batteries when they reach end of life. The Renewable Metals investment forms a key part of this strategy, helping to bring a potentially game changing technology to the UK market and enable circularity in EV battery recycling.
