Altilium allies with Japanese conglomerate

United Kingdom-based Altilium Metals has signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Japan-based Marubeni Corp. to explore opportunities to jointly develop electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling businesses in the U.K. and Europe.

Altilium is involved in the recovery of lithium, nickel and cobalt from end-of-life EV batteries at a cathode active material (CAM) facility in Devon, U.K. Marubeni, meanwhile, is involved in a range of business activities, including several tied to metals and mineral resources.

“Marubeni is a respected leader in the battery material industry and we are excited to collaborate with them on our journey to develop a U.K. circular economy for critical battery minerals,” Altilium Chief Technology Officer Dr. Christian Marston says, adding that the company's “strategic support will accelerate our growth as we look to scale up our best-in-class recycling technology and build the infrastructure for us to get to net zero.”

The firms say their collaboration will leverage the expertise, resources and market presence of both companies to drive innovation, enhance competitiveness and achieve sustainable growth in the battery recycling sector.

“We look forward to working with Marubeni to give the U.K. energy security and develop sustainable, low carbon sources of technology metals needed for a green energy future in the U.K. and a sustainable transport sector," Altilium CEO Kamran Mahdavi says.

Those efforts could include working together to secure feedstock (including black mass, end-of-life batteries and gigafactory scrap) as well as further development and scaling of Altilium Metals' proprietary technology to produce CAM from EV battery scrap.

According to Altilium, Marubeni also will explore the possibility of pursuing synergies with its existing assets such as trading expertise of battery materials, renewable energy supply and energy management and the supply of necessary chemical reagents for the recycling process and mobility business.

Marubeni has been involved in the battery sector since 1985. Earlier this year, the Tokyo-based firm invested in North Carolina-based Cirba Solutions, which is installing battery recycling capacity in the United States.

In the U.K., Altilium recently completed a feasibility study for the development of a recycled-content CAM production facility to be located in Teesside, England. That plant will have the capacity to process end-of-life batteries from more than 150,000 EVs per year, the firm says.