A new study by European clean transport and energy NGO Transport & Environment (T&E) reveals that recycling battery metals could supply up to 25% of Europe’s EV needs by 2030, offering both sustainability and resource independence.  

 According to the report, materials from end-of-life batteries and gigafactory scrap have the potential to build up to 2.4 million EVs locally in 2030, rising to 15 million EVs by 2040. 

 As well as reducing both extraction and imports of raw materials, recycling in Europe could cut the carbon footprint of sourcing lithium by 19% compared to extracting it in Australia and refining it in China. 

Other key finds include: 

♻️ Recycling EV batteries in Europe could avoid the need to build 12 new mines globally by 2040.  

♻️ By the end of the decade, over 100 GWh of production scrap will be available for recycling in Europe. 

♻️ By 2035, around 170 GWh of batteries will be available for recycling, rising to 470 GWh by 2040. 

♻️ Hydrometallurgy is expected to become the dominant recycling method in the future due to its higher efficiency in recovering valuable materials. 

“Battery recycling represents a key opportunity for Europe to build a sustainable electric vehicles industry,” notes the report. 

However, Europe will need to significantly scale up its recycling capabilities, especially in the material recovery stage, to manage the growing volume of spent batteries. By 2030, existing recycling capacities will need to increase 10 times to handle the anticipated volume of feedstock available for recycling. 

At Altilium, we’re committed to making this vision a reality. Our EcoCathode™ recycling process can recover 95% of the cathode metals, including lithium, from end-of-life EV batteries, cutting GHG emissions by up to 74% compared to mining virgin raw materials. Our ACT 4 recycling plant in Teesside will recycle over 150,000 EV batteries per annum and supply over 20% of the cathode active materials required in the UK by 2030, making it one of the largest facilities in Europe. 

We’re proud to be at the forefront of this transition to a circular economy, building critical recycling infrastructure to supply high volumes of sustainable anode and cathode materials for zero-carbon transport. 

 

Read the full study here: https://www.transportenvironment.org/articles/from-waste-to-value-the-potential-for-battery-recycling-in-europe