Li-Cycle and Kion Group sign battery recycling agreement
The North American battery recycler Li-Cycle is cooperating with the industrial truck manufacturer Kion Group. Under the agreement, which runs until 2030, Li-Cycle will recycle batteries from Kion’s global brands starting in the second half of 2023.
“Through our partnership, Li-Cycle expects to support both KION’s recycling needs and Kion’s ability to align with the EU’s battery regulations,” says Tim Johnston, co-founder and Executive Chair of Li-Cycle. “Together, we will build a circular battery supply chain and further support the clean energy transition.”
The patented and sustainable submerged shredding technology allows Li-Cycle to produce so-called ‘black mass,’ an intermediate product containing valuable metals. According to the partners, the method does not require high temperatures and has “a minimal environmental footprint.”
Li-Cycle has what it calls – a ‘Spoke & Hub’ business model. The mechanical processing takes place at the ‘Spokes’ near potential partners. The ‘Spokes’ are connected to the ‘Hub,’ where the hydrometallurgical processing into the reusable battery materials occurs.
The recycling will initially happen at a new Li-Cycle facility in the area of Magdeburg, Germany, which should be operational later this year. The plant can process up to 30,000 tons of battery materials annually, making it the company’s largest ‘Spoke’ to date.
Li-Cycle is also looking to set up facilities in Norway and France. In France, the plant will be located in Harnes, in the northern part of the country. The company chose the location because it is “where large global automotive OEMs have an established presence, and where plans to build three battery gigafactories have recently been announced.”
The plant is expected to be operational in 2024 with an initial processing capacity of up to 10,000 tonnes of lithium-ion battery material per year. There is an option to later expand capacity to 25,000 tonnes per year.
The plant in Norway will also have an initial processing capacity of up to 10,000 tonnes. Li-Cycle does not mention when it expects the latter to open its doors.
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