Lithion to set up battery recycling facility near Montreal
General Motors-backed Canadian battery recycler Lithion is building its first commercial critical minerals recovery facility in St-Bruno-de-Montarville, near Montreal, with plans to start operations this autumn.
Construction is already underway and progressing on schedule, according to the release. Whether it is a new building or whether Lithion is converting an existing hall for its purposes is not mentioned, however. What is clear, however, is that it will initially be a mechanical processing of batteries: Lithion St-Bruno will process more than 15,000 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries annually, which come from electric, and hybrid vehicles as well as from production scrap.
This will be followed by the construction of a hydrometallurgical plant where the concentrate will be broken down into its components to produce battery-grade lithium, cobalt and nickel. Commissioning of this second plant is planned for 2026 following a forthcoming round of financing and site selection, according to the release.
St-Bruno-de-Montarville is located east of Montreal and in close proximity to the communities of Saint-Basile-Le-Grand and McMasterville, which appear to be on Northvolt’s shortlist to build a North American cell plant. Lithion says it wants to take advantage of its proximity to Quebec’s growing battery industry – as well as the “ease of sourcing batteries and non-compliant materials from Canada and the United States”.
“From the onset, our goal at Lithion has been to make the energy transition truly sustainable by enabling the full circularity of battery materials,” says Benoit Couture, Lithion’s president and CEO. “Today’s accomplishment is testament to the unparalleled level of innovation, collaboration, and integrity demonstrated by our team.”
The settlement was encouraged by the Quebec provincial government and welcomed according to quotes from not one but two ministers. “The Lithion project fits into our Battery Industry Development Strategy, which focuses on extracting, processing, and recycling our critical minerals,” says Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy, who is also the Minister responsible for regional economic development around Montreal.
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