Too valuable to throw away: lithium, nickel and cobalt are the basis of electromobility – in the traditional linear economy, these raw materials would be disposed of at the end of a battery's life cycle. But hardly any other product is as predestined for the new circular economy as batteries – because after being used in a car, they can not only be reused as electricity storage devices in households or industry, but the raw materials can ultimately be used again to build new cars. But recycling is anything but easy.
The Mercedes-Benz automotive group has taken on the challenge: it is the first automotive manufacturer in the world to build its own factory specialising in the recovery of high-quality battery raw materials. The new factory in Kuppenheim enables an extremely efficient recovery rate of over 96 per cent.
Mechanical hydrometallurgical process
The centrepiece of the new plant is the mechanical hydrometallurgical process, which is particularly resource-efficient and environmentally friendly compared to conventional methods such as pyrometallurgy. The recycling process begins with the mechanical disassembly of the used batteries, during which materials such as plastics, copper, aluminium and iron are separated by type. These materials can then be reused for various industrial applications.
In the next step, the ‘black mass’ is processed. This contains the active electrochemical materials of the battery, in particular the metals lithium, nickel and cobalt. These metals are extracted by means of a multi-stage chemical process and recovered in a purity that meets the requirements for new batteries.
The decision to use a hydrometallurgical process instead of the pyrometallurgy that has been prevalent in Europe up to now has several advantages: the low process temperatures of up to 80 degrees Celsius significantly reduce the plant's energy consumption while also reducing the amount of waste. This means that the process produces fewer emissions and requires less energy than pyrometallurgy, making it a more environmentally friendly alternative.
In addition, the entire plant is operated in a CO₂-neutral manner and is supplied with 100 per cent green electricity. A photovoltaic system with an output of over 350 kilowatts is located on the roof of the 6,800-square-metre factory, which contributes to the plant's own power supply.
