Altilium completes expansion of UK’s first CAM plant and EV battery recycling innovation centre.
Altilium has completed the first phase of work on its new mini-commercial CAM plant and innovation centre (ACT 2), marking a significant step forward in its journey to delivering a sustainable and low-carbon supply of EV battery raw materials in the UK.
Located in Plymouth and scaling up to 70 staff, the 18,000 square foot facility will be home to the UK’s first end-to-end facility for recycling EV batteries and production of low carbon cathode active materials (CAM), as well as cutting edge R&D covering every step of the EV battery supply chain, all under one roof.
The new expanded facility will enable Altilium to scale-up the recycling of old EV batteries, producing high volumes of CAM for qualification with automotive OEMs and cell manufacturers, while improving the recycling economics and environmental footprint of its operations.
Innovations developed at the ACT 2 site focussed on reducing CAPEX and OPEX of future plants and improving the rates of metal recovery, particularly for lithium, will be implemented at Altilium’s planned Teesside recycling hub (ACT 4), which will have the capacity to process battery waste from 150,000 EVs to CAM, making it one of the largest projects in the European region.
Work completed so far includes a major electrical upgrade, required to power the recycling facility, start-up EV battery recycling test bed and equipment procurement.
The expansion of Altilium’s facilities follows 18-months successful operation of its EV battery recycling pilot line (ACT 1) and the scale up of its EcoCathode process™, which can recover over 95% of the critical metals from EV batteries, including lithium. Recovering these critical metals for reuse in new batteries can reduce carbon by 50% and costs by 20%, compared to mined raw materials.
Altilium's latest milestone underscores the commitment to innovation and fostering collaboration across the full recycling value chain, from ensuring the safe and sustainable transportation and management of end-of-life batteries to recovery of cathode metals and reengineering to CAM. This holistic approach is a unique customer offering in the UK giving OEM’s a fully circular battery solution.