ASX-listed Neometals Ltd has successfully rolled out its patented lithium battery recycling technology with the opening of a Europe’s first automotive battery recycling plant by Mercedes-Benz in Kuppenheim, Germany. Neometals and its 50 per cent technology JV partner, SMS Group, have licensed the ground-breaking technology to Mercedes who will now harvest its end of life batteries for valuable battery metals.

The state-of-the-art recycling plant was designed and built by Primobius  GmbH – a 50:50 joint venture (JV) between Neometals and SMS group, a large German engineering group.

Primobius cut a deal with the German car giant in January of this year to build a €18.8 million (AU$30.5 million) hydrometallurgical “hub” to complete the motoring giant’s new lithium battery recycling plant using Primobius’ patented recycling process.

The proprietary two-stage process combines mechanical shredding of old lithium batteries and hydrometallurgical refining to produce high-purity, low-carbon battery materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese, ready for reuse in battery manufacturing.

Neometals says the “closed-loop” recycling system, a first in the global automotive industry, is designed to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of battery production—a critical step in making the electric vehicle (EV) industry sustainable.

Mercedes’ plant is poised to process up to 2,500 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries annually, with the recovered materials set to fuel the creation of more than 50,000 battery modules for Mercedes-Benz’s next generation of EVs.

Neometals Ltd managing director Chris Reed said: “We are incredibly proud of Primobius and its team’s achievement on its journey to deliver lithium-ion battery recycling plants to our valued customers and licensees around the world.”

Neometals recently switched up its corporate strategy to sharpen its focus on the roll-out of more and bigger lithium battery recycling plants through Primobius to a growing list of license holders which now includes Mercedes-Benz.

Commenting on the opening of the new plant, Primobius CEO Dr. Michel Siemon said: “The reality is that electric vehicles have a very large legacy CO2 footprint from the production phase owing to the whole life carbon emissions associated with the battery raw materials involved. The concept of electromobility can only be sustainable once we succeed in recovering valuable battery materials in an energy-efficient way. That is exactly what we do with our solutions.

Neometals says its patented process not only cuts the carbon footprint of lithium-ion materials processing by 85 per cent but it also aligns perfectly with the growing demand for lithium battery recycling, which is expected to soon be mandatory in the European Union.

Neometals’ landmark recycling plant delivery is a major milestone not just for the company, but for the European EV manufacturing industry. As the number of lithium batteries in the market continues to rise, Neometals’ proprietary recycling plants are poised to rival the mining industry when it comes to lithium and other battery metals production.

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