Battery recycling without limits

Manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries are required by law to take back and recycle end-of-life batteries. At present, however, this target is often missed. Historically many of the batteries ended up in landfill sites, or were fed back into inefficient recycling processes based on smelting batteries to recover only a portion of the constituent materials.

Primobius recycling location

The SMS group Hilchenbach manufacturing facility covers a total of 40,000 m2 and ranks among the most modern anywhere in the world.

A dedicated 2,000 m2 facility houses the Primobius recycling plant. Commercial-scale battery shredding equipment has been integrated with proprietary-design beneficiation and refining circuits. The integrated facility in Hilchenbach provides the opportunity for vehicle, battery and consumer electronics manufacturers to observe the Primobius’ process safely dispose of hazardous LIBs and generate re-usable materials for the production of new batteries and other goods.

I do hope this is not the last plant of this kind. There will be need for many more, and the foresight of the people involved today deserves to be used in future generations of firms just like this.

Disposal services in Hilchenbach

The commercial operation of the first Shredder Plant from the Hilchenbach location offers customers the opportunity to dispose of their lithium-ion batteries of types NMC (lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides), NCA (lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxides), or LCO (lithium cobalt oxides) from consumer electronics or electric vehicles in Hilchenbach in a sustainable way.

Any residual charge in the batteries can be removed at two unloading stations integrated in the process. Dismantling work required for larger modules, for example from electric vehicles, is performed at newly set-up stations before the individual cells are removed and shredded/beneficiated.

The final products resulting from the mechanical comminution and beneficiation in Hilchenbach is a mixed material fraction consisting of copper, aluminum, and plastic parts that have different compositions depending on the type of feedstock used. Following the principles of a circular economy, these materials can be returned straight back to the market. The balance of the active battery material is then ready for sale or refining (Black Mass).

Primobius has set up the complete process in Hilchenbach:

  • Logistics
  • Safe storage (containers)
  • Discharching
  • Dismantling
  • Shredding and sorting
  • Packaging
  • Shipping
We can give the valuable materials back at a very, very low carbon footprint and relieve our customers from the risks of it leaking into the environment, damaging the water, burning, causing damage. So it's much about safety and disposing of them safely.

Disposal Services Contact Form

Primobius is operating the complete stage 1 mechanical separation area on a commercial basis. In line with the take-back process required by law, customers can deliver their used or defective lithium-ion batteries to Hilchenbach for sustainable disposal.

Contact

Have a question or would like to collaborate? Get in touch now.

Ulf Rademacher

Ulf Rademacher

Corporate Development Specialist

https://www.primobius.com
Primobius GmbH
Wiesenstraße 30
57271 Hilchenbach
Germany