Solving the challenges of battery recycling
By 2030 battery manufacturers in the EU must start using recycled materials in the production of new batteries. This regulation, combined with the electrification of vehicles and other products, puts pressure on the industry to find circular value chains. Carina Petersson, head of Stena Recycling’s new battery recycling facility, explains how battery recycling can be industrialized in a circular and safe way.
“Our new Battery Recycling Center in Sweden is one of the first industrial scale battery recycling facilities in Europe. It has been challenging, but we’ve worked hard to solve the safety issues that the handling of batteries and chemicals creates, and we’ve developed a recycling process that can recycle 95 percent of a lithium-ion battery,” says Carina Petersson.
The plant will be able to recycle 10,000 tons per year, which correspond to batteries from 30,000 vehicles. Initially the largest volumes to recycle will be scrap material from the production of battery cells. The other waste stream will be batteries from electric vehicles. When they reach their end-of-life, they will be collected and pre-treated in Stena Recycling’s battery centers in Europe before being delivered to the new plant in Sweden for recycling.
This is how the recycling process works
The first step is grinding of the battery modules in a large mill.
“Even though the batteries should have been discharged before being delivered to us, we must consider the risk that the discharging hasn’t been completed. To reduce the fire risk, the grinding is done in a low-oxygen environment.”
This is followed by an advanced, mechanical process to separate the different fractions to recover valuable metals, but also plastics and solvents.
“Mechanical sorting processes are at the core of our competence, and we’ve many years of expertise to rely on. That’s why we can proudly say that we’ll be able to recycle at least 95 percent of the battery, not only the valuable minerals.”
The recycled fraction that contains minerals, such as nickel, cobalt and lithium is separately divided into a product called black mass.
“The process of recycling batteries creates dust, which can be hazardous to health. Therefore, the process is closed to create a dust free working environment for our staff.”
Circular partner to the industry
The black mass is delivered to industrial partners who refine it via a hydrometallurgical process, enabling the metals to ultimately be used in the production of new battery cells.
“That’s one of the most stimulating aspects of my job, that we’ve both inbound and outbound customers. We never know exactly what kind of battery material that we receive for recycling. There are different kinds of materials and chemicals depending on the manufacturer. Since our outbound customers have their specific demands, we must work like an accordion and adjust our process so that we always deliver the highest possible quality to our outbound customers. The higher the quality of the recycled raw material, the easier it will be to use it in the production of new batteries.”
Stena Recycling is part of the Stena Metall Group, a family-owned company which has worked with recycling for more than 80 years.
“Our new facility in Sweden is the first of its kind within the Stena Metall Group. I’m proud to be part of this journey. Delegated business acumen is a central part of our company culture, which means that we’re encouraged to take responsibility for our business. It creates pressure to meet expectations, but you also have the mandate to change and develop. It gives the best value, both for us and for our customers,” concludes Carina Petersson.
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