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Altilium, a UK-based clean technology company, has announced a major breakthrough in EV battery recycling, with new research from Imperial College London confirming that recycled cathode active materials (CAM) can match or exceed the performance of virgin mined materials. The findings highlight the viability of a circular economy for EV batteries, offering improved battery performance, lower costs, and enhanced sustainability.
Key Highlights:
- Recycled CAM demonstrated superior purity, morphology, and electrochemical performance compared to commercial mined materials.
- Improved battery performance includes longer lifespan, faster charging, and lower production costs.
- Extensive electrochemical testing at Altilium’s ACT1 facility in Devon showed that its recycled materials outperformed high-nickel NMC 811 batteries.
- Altilium’s EcoCathode™ process recovers over 95% of critical metals, providing a sustainable domestic supply for UK battery manufacturers.
- Recycled CAM materials feature enhanced particle size and distribution, contributing to greater stability and cycling efficiency.
Performance Advantages of Recycled CAM
The recycled cathode materials from Altilium offer several advantages over mined metals, including:
- Longer Battery Life – Higher purity reduces defects, improving durability and cycle longevity.
- Faster Charging – Consistent particle sizes enhance lithium-ion mobility, enabling quicker charge times.
- Lower Costs – Recycling reduces energy-intensive mining and refining processes, cutting operational expenses and lowering the carbon footprint.
Scaling Up Sustainable Battery Solutions
Altilium is scaling up its EV battery recycling operations, including a new plant in Teesside, expected to be one of Europe’s largest battery recycling facilities. With the capacity to process scrap from 150,000 EVs per year, the plant aims to supply 30,000 metric tons of CAM, covering 20% of the UK’s battery material needs by 2030.
Altilium’s breakthrough positions recycled CAM as a key enabler for next-generation EV batteries, reducing reliance on imported virgin materials while accelerating the shift toward sustainable mobility.
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