Europe's largest battery recycling plant kicks into gear
Around 25,000 EVs worth of batteries could be recycled per year as Europe's largest recycling plant commences operations.
The Hydrovolt plant, a joint venture between Northvolt and Norsk Hydro, located in Fredrikstad, Norway, is aiming to recycle around 12,000 tonnes of battery packs per year as Europe looks to kick the energy transition into full swing.
Read more: Northvolt produces fully-recycled battery cell
As much as 95% of the materials used could be salvaged from the batteries using an automated recycling process. By the end of the decade, Northvolt is hoping to have 50% of its battery manufacturing covered by recycled materials.
The recycled materials include plastics, copper, aluminium and "black mass" - a compound containing nickel, manganese, cobalt and lithium - which will be directly supplied back to Northvolt, with aluminium being passed to Hydro for the creation of low-carbon aluminium products.
Recycling the metals found in batteries is seen as essential in meeting the increasing demand for electric vehicles. A significant amount of these minerals will be needed to reach the bloc's net-zero targets as laid out by the European Green Deal.
Due to them being recycled and having already been smelted, much of the emissions from these materials have already been spent, which, in effect, makes them a low-carbon alternative.
Most batteries in EVs are lithium-ion, which use cobalt, lithium, manganese, nickel and graphite. Some firms have altered chemical formulae to minimise the use of harder or more problematic metals to obtain, such as cobalt and lithium.
The mining of these minerals also contributes to climate change, with the entire global mining sector accounting for around 8% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Read more: Central African nations call for ethical cobalt, battery supply chain
The recycling of batteries is also necessary for the fulfilment of increasingly tight regulations by the EU regarding batteries, particularly in how the metals are sourced due to the climate and ethical impacts of the mining industry.
In total, the firm hopes to have recycled around 70,000 tonnes of batteries by 2025, and 300,000 by 2030, which could put large amounts of metals back into circulation.
"Norway has been leading the world in the adoption of electric vehicles for some years, but what has been missing is recycling capacity to ensure a sustainable solution for those batteries as they reach end-of-life," Northvolt CEO Peter Qvarfordt said.
According to Qvarfodt, the plant will handle a large portion of the battery recycling in the entire country. EV demand is sharply rising globally, and ensuring batteries are available for automakers in bulk remains a priority.
It is estimated that the entirety of road traffic in the country could be electric by the end of the decade. 54% of cars sold in 2020 were electric and it represents the third-largest EV market in the world. In addition, the distribution of most goods in major areas could also be emission-free by 2030.
“Batteries play a key role in the world’s transition to renewable energy," Hydro EVP Arvid Moss said. "Through Hydrovolt, we are laying the foundations for a sustainable and circular supply chain for batteries in Europe."
"Batteries reaching end-of-life will get a new life through the recovery of black mass and aluminium. Aluminium can be recycled with only 5% of the initial energy required to produce primary aluminium, which makes it a perfect material for a circular economy," he added.
Northvolt has been busy laying out plans for battery gigafactories across Europe in a bid to increase the domestic production of electric vehicles.
Read more: Northvolt to set up third gigafactory in Germany
The EU has also implemented a Chips Act, a €15 billion wave of funding to fight the global semiconductor shortage. The point of this is to accelerate the development of both electronics and EVs in the bloc and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
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