Wolverhampton site leading the way on battery recycling
Wolverhampton is leading the way on recycling of batteries from electric vehicles to recover valuable metals including lithium, manganese, cobalt and nickel.
The new Li-Batt site at Lincoln Street, part of Recyclus Group, is also one of the first places in the UK that will offer a solution for safe recycling of discarded vapes.
The lithium-ion plant – the UK's first industrial-scale recyling operation of its kind – is set to start its commissioning operation next week.
Recyclus, which is majority owned by listed company Technology Minerals, has invested £6 million in developing the recycling technology and first operational plant.
So far 14 jobs have been created, with the initial single shift capable of recycling 8,300 tonnes of batteries a year from electric vehicles, e-bikes, mobile phones, computer lap-tops and industrial applications at the li-ion recycling plant.
It is the first of five such automated plants that Recyclus plans to open around the UK.
The company believes it can supply up to 20 per cent of the UK's requirements for rare metals needed for batteries from recycling.
Recyclus has also created its own LiBox li-ion battery boxes, made from mild steel, to safely transport batteries to its site.
It has teamed up with Stourport-based Slicker Recycling which will provide the trucks to transport the batteries from customers for processing in Wolverhampton.
Recyclus is also set to open a lead acid battery recycling operation called Halo at Tipton.
As it extends from a single shift, more jobs will be created at Wolverhampton, with long-term plans to operate mobile li-ion battery recycling trucks leading to further employment.
Robin Brundle, co-founder and director, said that Wolverhampton would remain the headquarters for its "world beating" li-ion operation.
During the commissioning phase, when the plant is operational any emissions are being carefully monitored and recorded. Providing the emissions continue to be within approved levels, the number of processing hours will be extended until the facility reaches continuous operation.
End-of-life batteries are fed into the processing plant to produce black mass which contains the critical battery metals that can be reprocessed abroad and sold back into the battery supply chain.
In April, Recyclus secured an Environment Agency permit that allows the company a daily storage limit of 100 tonnes of li-ion batteries on site and to process up to 22,000 tonnes a year.
Mr Brundle said: "With the ongoing global shift towards electrification, the accumulation of discarded batteries poses a significant challenge, underscoring the need for recycling initiatives such as our Wolverhampton plant.
"By implementing advanced recycling solutions, we are committed to addressing this burgeoning issue and contributing to the sustainable evolution of the global economy."
He said it was solving the problem faced by companies forced to store huge quantities of old batteries – often in containers – because they had no one to recycle them and they could not go to landfill.
Li-Batt will also be handling li-ion batteries from trains and forklift trucks.
It will also be working with a local authority and a leading tobacco company on a pilot project to recycle vapes at the Wolverhampton plant.
Mr Brundle said Recyclus had also got a £2m Innovate UK grant towards developing the mobile truck with the University of Birmingham to take advantage of opportunities in the white goods market.
