Lithium-ion battery recycling technology firm Altilium says it has commenced construction of the UK’s first at-scale EV battery recycling facility with integrated chemical refining capabilities, located in Plymouth, Devon.
The group claims a first in the UK in terms of the production of new battery cells from recycled materials. “The groundbreaking ACT 3 scale-up plant will place the UK at the forefront of sustainable battery materials production.”
The facility will have the capacity to recover critical battery minerals, including lithium, nickel and graphite, from 24,000 EVs per year. Using Altilium’s proprietary EcoCathode™ process, battery scrap will be recycled into nickel Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate (MHP) and lithium sulphate — critical intermediate materials for domestic production of battery cathodes.
Construction work at the 4-acre site has already begun, with engineering design work being completed by global engineering consultancy Hatch. The plant will provide important learnings around materials handling, scalability and process optimisation, as well as sustainability and environmental compliance, as part of a scale-up pathway the firm has laid out (see below), which culminates in construction of a planned mega-scale refinery later this decade.
Currently the UK is dependent on the international market for supply of critical battery materials, which are essential for decarbonisation and the energy transition. With growing demand from the battery production sector, the UK is expected to need up to 40% of current global lithium production and up 30% of current global graphite production by 2030, according to research by the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre (CMIC).
By developing a circular economy for EV batteries, Altiliium is ensuring the UK has a secure and sustainable domestic supply chain for these materials, while reducing our reliance on imported resources and cutting carbon emissions.
Dr Christian Marston, Altilium COO, commented: “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 EV 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.”
While battery recycling in the UK has to date focused primarily on shredding batteries and black mass production, Altilium says it is pioneering the next step: keeping valuable battery metals like lithium and nickel in the UK through advanced hydrometallurgical refining. “This approach ensures local job creation and a resilient supply of battery-grade materials for the UK’s growing EV and gigafactory sectors.”
Altilium’s proprietary EcoCathode™ process boasts a 95% recovery rate for critical minerals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt, and a 99% recovery rate for graphite. This method is said to result in a 24% reduction in emissions compared to conventional hydrometallurgical recycling processes.
