April 28, 2023: Power firm Fortum stated on April 27 that it has began business operation of its lithium hydrometallurgical battery recycling facility in Finland.
Fortum claims that the plant is the most important in Europe by way of recycling capability and the primary business facility within the area for hydrometallurgical recycling.
The plant can even extract 95% of the precious and demanding metals from the battery’s black mass and reuse them to provide new lithium ion battery chemical compounds, Fortum stated.
The corporate has but to reply Journal of Power Storageask for particulars on the recycling capability or inform what occurs to the remaining black mass that can’t be recycled.
Fortum stated the Harjavalta facility will scale back Europe’s reliance on imported battery uncooked supplies.
Head of the batteries enterprise line at Fortum Battery Recycling, Tero Holländer, stated that the “low-CO2 plant can sustainably produce supplies urgently wanted for brand new EV lithium ion and industrial use batteries”.
The plant already produces nickel and cobalt sulfate, Fortum stated.
Recycling pre-treatment providers for the Finnish plant will probably be carried out about 2,400km away from Fortum’s new operation in Kirchardt, Germany, The corporate stated on March 16 it obtained an environmental allow from the regulators.
