Metals recycling firm TSR Group has partnered with BASF on a new collaborative venture to advance the recycling of electric vehicle batteries in Europe.
The collaboration will focus on several key stages of the battery recycling process, including the professional dismantling and discharging of end-of-life batteries, and the processing of used batteries into ‘black mass’, a material that contains extractable materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt.
In addition, the two firms are also exploring further joint activities to strengthen the circular economy in electromobility, including logistics cooperation for used batteries and the processing of metal fractions from waste streams generated in black mass production
Close the loop
TSR Group, which is part of Remondis Group, currently recycles around 8.7 million tonnes of ferrous and non-ferrous metals every year. It sees the partnership as a valuable means to ‘close the loop’ for battery metals in Europe, and strengthen the industrial reintegration of essential raw materials.
“The recovery of battery metals is far more than a technical process,” commented Marc Affüpper, managing director of TSR Group. “It is a strategic prerequisite for security of supply and the competitiveness of European industry.
“If we succeed in consistently keeping these raw materials within the European market and making them available again, we strengthen industrial value creation and reduce geopolitical dependencies. This collaboration is a concrete step toward building robust structures in battery recycling and ensuring the long-term reintegration of strategically important raw materials.”
Battery recycling
BASF, which operates a recycling facility for the production of black mass at its Schwarzheide site in Germany, added that the partnership is key to expanding the battery recycling market in Europe, and bolstering the bloc’s EV sector.
“The collaboration with TSR demonstrates how important strong partners are for building a long‑term, high‑performance and secure circular economy,” said Dr. Daniel Schönfelder, president of BASF’s Battery Materials division. “Together, we are expand-ing our European network by adding a leading recycling service provider and creating integrated solutions that help our customers close their value chains sustainably and reliably.”
Pictured are Daniel Schönfelder, president of BASF’s Battery Materials division, and Marc Affüpper, managing director of the TSR Group [Photo: BASF]. Read more here.
