Hannans and Serbian steelmaker partner on EV lithium battery recycling

Hannans has signed a partnership with Serbia’s Metalfer Group to commercialise electric vehicle battery recycling and processing technology in Europe.

The agreement will see the companies carry out a feasibility study for a 10 tonne per day ‘Spoke’ battery shredding plant, located near Metalfer’s operations in Serbia.

In addition to the study, the agreement opens the door to further work, including the potential to develop a plan for a ‘hub’ hydromet plant capable of processing products from the Spoke plant into high purity battery materials.

“Today’s announcement supports Hannans’ strategy to transform its business into a sustainable battery recycler and battery material supplier to the European market,” Hannans CEO Brett Salt said.

“It would establish a proposed second operating base within the Hannans licensed regions, following the company’s announcement in April this year of an intention to develop a location in the United Kingdom.”

Salt added that the partnership will allow them to recover materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese.

Metalfer uses, in part, scrap steel as feedstock for its steel manufacturing, which includes ‘material volumes of end-of-life’ electric vehicles and their batteries. The Serbian company says this agreement for lithium-ion battery recycling with Hannans provides it with the ability bolster its EV feedstock operations and a sustainable, industrial-scale battery recycling solution.

“We recognise the need to secure access to large volumes of future end-of-life EVs and the present need to recycle a significantly growing volume of end-of-life batteries and production scrap from planned Lithium Battey cell production in central and southern Europe,” Metalfer president Branko Zeĉević said.

“The partnership with Hannans presents the perfect opportunity for us to enter what is projected to be one of the world’s fastest growing markets.”