Altilium has commenced construction on what it calls the “UK’s first at-scale” electric vehicle battery recycling and refining plant.
Construction work at the four-acre site in Plymouth, Devon has begun, with engineering design work being completed by global engineering consultancy Hatch.
Altilium says the facility will have the capacity to recover critical battery minerals, including lithium, nickel and graphite, from 24,000 electric vehicles per year.
Using Altilium’s proprietary EcoCathode™ process, the company says battery scrap will be recycled into Nickel-Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate (MHP) and Lithium Sulphate, which are critical intermediate materials for domestic production of battery cathodes.
Our ACT 3 site marks the next phase in Altilium’s mission to close the loop on battery materials here in Britain.
Commenting on the announcement, Dr Christian Marston, Altilium COO, said: “Our ACT 3 site marks the next phase in Altilium’s mission to close the loop on battery materials here in Britain.
“We are proud to be building this scale-up facility here in Plymouth, which will be a cornerstone of the UK’s electric vehicle battery supply chain.
“This is about taking a strategic and incremental approach to scaling a vital new industry, one that ensures value stays in the country and creates long-term skilled green jobs.”
Altilium says the plant is part of a pathway for the construction of Altilium’s planned ACT 4 mega-scale refinery later this decade.
The plant adds to Altilium’s existing and planned facilities, which include
- ACT 1: Altilium’s Technology Centre in Devon where its proprietary EcoCathode™ process was developed.
- ACT 2: A pilot line that processes one electric vehicle battery per day.
- ACT 3: Scale-up plant in Plymouth, which is now under construction, producing intermediate battery materials.
- ACT 4: A planned mega-scale refinery delivering battery metal salts, P-CAM and CAM (cathode active material) to UK gigafactories.
