Envirostream lithium ion battery recycling plant up and running

Vertically integrated lithium ion battery metals and component manufacturing and recycling company Lithium Australia (ASX: LIT) has announced that its Envirostream subsidiary has produced its first metals from a new Melbourne recycling plant.

The plant is capable of recycling 3,000 tonnes of battery waste a year with first production of nickle, cobalt, lithium and carbon to be shipped ‘imminently’ to a customer in South Korea.

The group is the only company with the capacity to collect, sort, shred and separate battery metals locally ready for reuse.

Lithium developed the recycling technology along with ANSTO, and has already produced battery cathodes from recycled material at its Brisbane pilot plant.

Envirostream will now roll out a national collection network to secure batteries to feed the new plant.

Lithium managing director Adrian Griffin (pictured) said: “The processing of spent batteries not only improves the sustainability of the battery industry but also prevents undesirable materials going to landfill, which reduces the potential for groundwater contamination.”

Earlier this week @AuManufacturing news reported Lithium had moved from from a 23.9 per cent holding in Envirostream to a 73.7 percent interest.

The ANSTO/Lithium technology is the result of three years R&D work and recovers 95 per cent of the materials from spent batteries.

Picture: Adrian Griffin

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