The British recycling specialist Altilium has started recycling lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries from electric cars. Altilium had previously started recycling nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries.
With the EcoCathode technology developed by Altilium, over 97 per cent of the lithium and 99 per cent of the graphite from LFP batteries can be recovered for reuse in new batteries. This highly efficient process not only strengthens the business model for recycling LFP batteries but also enables car manufacturers to fulfil new legal requirements and sustainability targets, the company reports. However, recycling is currently still taking place on a small scale; a large-scale plant called ACT 4 (see below) is in preparation.
The LFP batteries to be recycled come from a leading global manufacturer of electric vehicles and energy storage systems, which Altilium is not authorised to name. Altilium COO Dr Christian Marston explains: “The rise of LFP batteries presents both challenges and opportunities for recyclers. At Altilium, we are pioneering solutions to ensure these batteries are not only recovered, but play a key role in a UK circular battery economy. Our advanced EcoCathode™ technology allows us to efficiently extract lithium and graphite, making LFP recycling commercially viable and environmentally essential. By expanding our capabilities to process LFP alongside NMC batteries, we are strengthening the UK’s battery supply chain and supporting the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable transport sector.”
According to the Advanced Propulsion Centre, the share of LFP batteries in the UK electric vehicle market will increase from 18% in 2027 to 25% in 2035. This switch to LFP batteries presents a challenge for battery recyclers, as iron and phosphate are less valuable than nickel and cobalt. For this reason, LFP batteries are currently recycled less frequently. Altilium is addressing this challenge by recovering more lithium, which is a high-value material, and recycling the graphite, which can be reused in the manufacture of new anodes.
Altilium already recycles NMC batteries from two leading UK car manufacturers and Gigafactory production waste to produce advanced high-nickel active cathode materials (CAM) at its ACT1 plant in Tavistock and ACT2 plant in Plymouth (both located in Devon). The company’s recently opened ACT2 recycling facility in Plymouth has the capacity to recover lithium and other battery metals from 300kg of black mass waste (the equivalent of an electric car battery) per day, while the planned centre in Teesside is set to become one of the largest EV battery recycling facilities in Europe. The facility will have the capacity to process scrap from more than 150,000 electric vehicles per year and will be designed to process a range of battery types, including LFP.