Impact to share funding for battery recycling technology

Impact Solutions will share in the funding from the The Ecosurety Exploration Fund to develop CellMine which will help with the transition to a circular economy

A Falkirk-based company is one of four in the UK that will share £500,000 in funding to accelerate the development of its lithium ion battery recycling technology.

Impact Solutions will share in the funding from the The Ecosurety Exploration Fund to develop CellMine in what has been described as a boost to the UK recycling sector which will help with the transition to a circular economy.

The CellMine research project will explore the viability of a new low-energy, low cost battery recycling process.

Sales of lithium ion batteries are projected to grow to $1 trillion by 2024, largely driven by fast-moving government legislation on electric vehicles.

However, current supplies of rare earth materials used in their manufacture are inadequate to meet the projected long-term needs and existing recycling technologies are inefficient and environmentally hazardous.

The Ecosurety Exploration Fund was launched in November 2019 with a view to providing a visible funding route for organisations addressing the environmental challenges presented by packaging, batteries or e-waste.

Offering a total of £1m across three years, the Ecosurety Exploration Fund is the first such opportunity to be launched by a UK recycling compliance scheme.

It builds on Ecosurety’s experience in supporting innovative projects and new technologies across the waste and recycling sector.

Ecosurety CEO James Piper said, our vision when we set up the Ecosurety Exploration Fund was to provide a vital springboard for projects that offer truly viable and innovative solutions to the challenges that packaging, batteries and e-waste currently pose to the environment.

He said, Ecosurety remains committed to supporting the UK recycling and innovation sector through strategic investment. It is only by supporting projects such as CellMine will we find viable and tangible solutions to some of the most pressing issues around waste, resource use and material scarcity.

Impact Solutions innovation director Tom Rose said: Lithium ion battery technology is the key stone in moving our society to a greener more sustainable future. But to make good on this promise we need to develop effective and economical ways to recycle lithium ion batteries at end-of-life and make sure the precious, limited resources used within them are not lost.