Sweden – First lithium-ion battery cell from Northvolt’s Revolt recycling program features a nickel-manganese-cobalt cathode made from recycled battery metals.
Northvolt Labs in VƤsters, Sweden, was the only location in the world where all recycling and production processes were completed at the same time. The breakthrough in the battery industry and Northvolt’s mission to establish a long-term supply of batteries for the decarbonization of society are a result of this development.
A low-energy hydrometallurgical treatment that uses an aqueous solution to isolate the metals and separate them from impurities was used to recover recycled nickel, manganese, and cobalt from battery waste.
In order to meet its goal of producing 50 percent recycled cells by 2030, Northvolt has proven the validity and efficiency of its recycling process and is now focusing on increasing recycling capacity.
An additional 125,000 tons of batteries per year will be recycled at Revolt Ettā€”the company’s first giga-scale recycling plant under construction adjacent to Northvolt Ett’s megafactory in Skellefte, Sweden.
The recycling plant will receive incoming material for recycling from two sources: end-of-life batteries from electric vehicles and production scrap from Northvolt Ett, with construction beginning in Q1 2022 and operations beginning in 2023.
Lithium will be the only metal that can be recycled at a large-scale facility in Europe, making Revolt Ett Europe’s most comprehensive battery recycling plant. One-half of the total annual output of Northvolt Ett will be supplied by recycled metals recovered from Revolt Ett, which is located next door to the Northvolt Ett cell manufacturing gigafactory.
Copper, aluminum, and plastics will be recovered from the batteries and materials that Revolt Ett recycles and recirculated back into the manufacturing process via local third parties in addition to supplying Northvolt battery production processes with nickel, manganese, cobalt, and lithium metal.
