2024-08-05 06:30:03
To support the development of mega-factories manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles, it will be necessary to install battery recycling plants. Spotlight on three major projects.
On July 2, Hydrovolt, a battery recycling company founded in 2020, announced the construction of a lithium-ion battery recycling plant in Hordain, in the heart of the “ Battery Valley » from the north of France. The region is today “ a growing hub for the battery value chain »warns the company. The chosen site in Hordain already has a configuration suitable for recycling operations on approximately 3,000 square meters,” shares the company which is a joint venture between Norwegian industrial giant Hydro and Swedish battery maker Northvolt.
The site is expected to begin operations in mid-2025, after obtaining its operating permits. It will enable the dismantling and recycling of up to 95 % of strategic metals present in batteries, in particular lithium, cobalt and nickel. Recycled materials will be used to produce new batteries. The stakes are high, since batteries represent approximately 40 % of the total cost of an electric vehicle. This is an important step for Hydrovolt, and entering the French market will help us maintain our position as the European leader in lithium-ion battery recycling.”said Ole-Christen Enger, CEO d’Hydrovolt,
A project in Dunkirk by Eramet and Suez
Another project supported by the mining group Erametin collaboration with SUEZ, plans to build two factories in Dunkirk. The objective : recycle end-of-life batteries and production waste from gigafactories to produce new batteries. The first plant will be managed by SUEZ and should be up and running as early as 2025. It will dismantle, crush and separate the various components of batteries until the production of black mass, a black powder containing the strategic metals nickel, cobalt and lithium. It will be able to process up to 50 000 tonnes of battery modules per year, the equivalent of 200 000 batteries.
The second hydrometallurgical plant run by Eramet will extract and refine the strategic metals contained in the black mass. It will thus make it possible to produce 5 000 tons of nickel, 1 000 tons of cobalt and 4 000 tons of lithium per year, in the form of metallic salts. battery quality”. Eramet launched a pilot plant in Trappes in November 2023 to test and optimize this process. This is a 1/1000th replica of the plant planned for Dunkirk. The final investment decision is expected by the end of 2024 for a start in 2027.
Another recycling plant near Arras
The French start-up Battri has announced its opening in the summer 2024 of its first lithium-ion battery recycling plant in Saint-Laurent-Blangy, near Arras (Pas-de-Calais). The plant will ensure the first stages of the recycling process – those called pre-treatment – until the black mass is obtained. The plant should be able to recycle more than 30 000 tons of lithium-ion batteries per year, according to a company press release.
These plants must meet the objectives set by European regulations to reduce mining pressure. In June 2023, the European Parliament and the Member States of the European Union agreed on targets for material recovery and reuse in the battery sector. 50 % of lithium will have to be recovered by 2027 and 80 % by 2031. Cobalt, copper, lead and nickel will need to achieve recovery rates of 90 % by 2027 and 95 % from here to 2031.
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