Fortum Battery Recycling develops pilot plant for new methods
Fortum Battery Recycling has been awarded a grant from government business development agency Business Finland for a new test production facility for battery materials.
The goal of the facility is to pilot a new method for producing cathode and anode materials. Fortum says its patent-pending new process will allow “faster, more cost-effective and energy-efficient production of cathode and anode materials,” including lithium titanium oxide (LTO), compared to the conventional process.
The approach is also expected to be able to use recycled battery chemicals, such as lithium, produced at Fortum’s own hydrometallurgical recycling facility in Harjavalta.
Fortum has not yet revealed the location of the new plant, nor further details of the when it will begin operations. The amount of funding the pilot plant has been granted is also being held undr wraps for the moment.
In addition to the funding granted for the pilot recycling plant, Fortum Battery Recycling has also been awarded a €4.5 million grant from the national business development agency Business Finland, independently of the grant mentioned above, to expand its mechanical processing capabilities at its facility in Ikaalinen, Finland, including a new type of mechanical shredder and related equipment.
“The market for lithium batteries and thus also cathode and anode materials will continue to grow rapidly in the coming years, and there is constant demand for new solutions. Safety, efficiency, and sustainability together with Europe-based production chains are key in this industry,” says Tero Holländer, Head of Fortum Battery Recycling. “The planned test production facility might open a completely new market for Fortum Battery Recycling among battery cell manufacturers.”
Holländer announces his intention to work with pilot customers with regard to his new process, while still looking for new customers “to test and develop the LTO anode material and cathode materials that meet customer needs.”
Recycling electric car batteries and recovering critical raw materials are part of Fortum Recycling & Waste’s core business. The company’s subsidiary Fortum Battery Recycling is also planning a new recycling hub in Germany in the industrial area of Artern in Thuringia.
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