Another battery recycling plant for Sweden

Gothenburg-based Stena Recycling today announced plans to invest SEK250 million (€24.6 million) in a battery recycling plant near its Nordic Recycling Center in Halmstad, Sweden.

Describing the project as a “new battery recycling process” without revealing any further technical details, the Swedish recycling business said London-based chemicals and sustainable technology company Johnson Matthey would add a process step which would see the 95% of the lithium-ion battery materials Stena said it will recover from each device “fully refined” for use in new products.

Stating construction will begin in “autumn,” Stena said the initial batteries to be processed would be collected at its 90 locations in Sweden and “eventually” in other countries where the business operates. Stena Recycling is part of the Olsson-family-owned Stena conglomerate, which includes the ferry company.

Quoted in a press release issued by the company today to announce the investment, Stena Recycling MD Fredrik Pettersson said: “We see a strong growth in the sale of electric vehicles where we need to meet our customers' needs to dispose of spent batteries in a safe and environmentally sound way. This major investment is part of our strategy to be a leader in the collection and mechanical processing of lithium-ion batteries to establish a circular cycle for batteries.

“We are now responding to market demand. We are proud to offer a circular solution for lithium-ion batteries. It will be a big win for the environment and for the life cycle of the batteries when we recover critical metals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt, which are in short supply worldwide.”