Cambridgeshire-based Aurelius Environmental is about to begin working with a South Korean company on an innovative process for recovering valuable metals from electric-vehicle (EV) batteries (
www.aureliustechnology.com) .
A visit to South Korea in September 2018 — organised by Enterprise Europe Network through the Global Business Innovation Programme — created this opportunity for Aurelius, which has won £620,000 in Eureka network funding to pursue the project.
It has teamed up with Cellgen Co Ltd to develop a lithium-ion battery-recycling demonstrator (the companies were introduced at a match-making event during a visit to South Korea in September 2018).
The latter will supply lithium recovery technology to be incorporated in a process for EV battery re-use and recycling.
This will include testing, dismantling and destruction of battery packs using technology developed and/or sourced by Aurelius in partnership with the University of Cambridge.
Athan Fox, technology director at Aurelius Environmental, said: “Electric transport systems will rely heavily on battery and critical raw-material supply chains; we are well placed to be a key player in these fields.
"As the EV batteries reach end-of-life in the UK over the course of the next decade, raw materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and more must be extracted, recycled and re-used.
"These and other collaboration opportunities are accelerating our international growth.”