Northvolt has produced its first battery cell with 100% recycled nickel, manganese and cobalt and now aims towards scale-up of recycling facilities in Sweden.
Northvolt recycling program, Revolt, has produced its first battery cell with 100% recycled nickel, manganese and cobalt
Following material validation, electrochemical performance testing of cells produced with recycled metals demonstrates performance on par with cells produced with freshly-mined metals
Committed to accelerating battery recycling and its impact on battery production, Northvolt aims to expand its recycling plant capacity to enable recycling of 125,000 tons of batteries per year, amounting to approximately 30 GWh of battery production per year
November 12, 2021 | Stockholm, Sweden – Northvolt today announced that its recycling program, Revolt, has produced its first lithium-ion battery cell featuring a nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cathode produced with metals recovered through the recycling of battery waste.
Uniquely, all recycling and production processes were completed on a single site, at Northvolt Labs in Västerås, Sweden. The development stands as a breakthrough for the battery industry and a milestone for Northvolt in its mission establish a sustainable supply of batteries to support the decarbonization of society.
Emma Nehrenheim, Northvolt''s Chief Environmental Officer and head of Revolt, commented: "What we have shown here is a clear pathway to closing the loop on batteries and that there exists a sustainable, environmentally-preferable alternative to conventional mining in order to source raw materials for battery production. The recycling process can recover up to 95% of the metals in a battery to a level of purity on par with fresh virgin material. What we need now is to scale-up recycling capacities in anticipation of future volumes of batteries requiring recycling."
Recycled nickel, manganese and cobalt metals used in the battery cell were recovered from battery waste through a low-energy hydrometallurgical treatment which involves the use of an aqueous solution to isolate the metals and separate them from impurities.
To secure this, Revolt Ett, the company''s first giga-scale recycling plant under development adjacent to Northvolt Ett gigafactory in Skellefteå, Sweden, will be expanded beyond its initial design to enable recycling of 125,000 tons of batteries per year.
With construction beginning in Q1 2022 and operations in 2023, the recycling plant will receive incoming material for recycling from two sources: end-of-life batteries from electric vehicles and production scrap from Northvolt Ett.
In addition to becoming Europe''s largest battery recycling plant, Revolt Ett will be the only large-scale facility in Europe capable of recycling lithium in addition to nickel, manganese, cobalt and other metals. Recovered materials from Revolt Ett will supply neighboring Northvolt Ett cell manufacturing gigafactory with recycled metals sufficient for 30 GWh of battery production per year (half of Northvolt Ett''s total annual cell output).
Alongside direct delivery of nickel, manganese, cobalt and lithium metals into Northvolt battery production processes, Revolt Ett will recover copper, aluminium and plastics from the batteries and materials it recycles – all of which will be recirculated back into manufacturing flows through local third-parties.
Emma Nehrenheim comments: "As the electric vehicle revolution gains speed, we should be mindful that some 250,000 tons of batteries will reach their end-of-life in Europe by 2030. In this, some see challenges and obstacles. At Northvolt, we see opportunity. Similar to how we''ve found novel, sustainable solutions for the handling of salt byproduct at Northvolt Ett – treating it as a valuable product and not waste – the same is true with end-of-life batteries. Ultimately, a commitment to circularity will not only significantly reduce the environmental impacts of the battery industry, but also contribute to our vision to set a new benchmark for sustainability in manufacturing."
Visualization of Revolt Ett recycling plant, Skellefteå, Sweden
Northvolt is a European supplier of sustainable, high-quality battery cells and systems. Founded in 2016 to enable the European transition to a decarbonized future, the company has made swift progress on its mission to deliver the world''s greenest lithium-ion battery with a minimal CO2 footprint and has grown to more than 2,300 people from over 100 different nationalities.
Northvolt has to date secured in excess of $27 billion worth of contracts from key customers, including BMW, Fluence, Scania, Volkswagen, Volvo Cars and Polestar, to support its plan, which includes establishing recycling capabilities to enable 50 percent of all its raw material requirements to be sourced from recycled batteries by 2030.
Building on proven foundations, we''re delivering market-leading lithium-ion NMC cells that blend all-round performance with sustainability.
Together with some of the world''s leading automotive companies, we''ve developed lithium-ion cells that combine market-leading energy density with safety and long lifetimes.
And because we can, we''re producing them with 100% fossil-free energy.
We''ve reduced our lithium-ion cell carbon footprint to 33 kg CO2/kWh — that''s a two-thirds reduction compared to an industry reference. But we won''t stop there. We''re aiming for 10 kg.
Fossil-free energy powering cell production.
By 2030 half of what goes into our lithium-ion cells will come from recycling.
Northvolt''s target for installed lithium-ion cell capacity by 2030.
Top-tier performance within automotive applications
Critical raw materials recoverable to battery-grade raw materials
One-third the CO2 of an industry reference lithium-ion cell
Robust cells designed with integration into end-applications in mind
Designed in-house, to specification of our customers
Covering all performance requirements, sizes and applications
Today, we''re producing lithium-ion cells at Northvolt Ett — our first gigafactory, located in northern Sweden.
With an installed capacity of 16 GWh, Northvolt Ett hosts cathode active material production and cell manufacturing, all alongside our first large-scale recycling facility, Revolt Ett.
"Northvolt is about developing the very best possible way to build a battery – a way that doesn''t compromise on sustainability."
All cars are different. Some require more power than others, some are built for range and others require fast-charging. It''s the battery that determines the performance of a vehicle. Whatever the need, we''re developing cells to deliver what''s required.
Commercial vehicles require their own kind of battery. And we have all the tools and expertise in-house to design and deliver just that. We''ve upped the lifetime of our lithium-ion cells and fine-tuned them for the operating profiles of the all-electric fleets of tomorrow.
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