Devon-based clean technology group Altilium has announced a new partnership with major chemicals company HELM AG, through its UK subsidiary LevertonHELM Ltd, that will see the two companies working together to develop a sustainable domestic supply chain for lithium in the UK.
By combining Altilium’s expertise in recovering battery materials from spent batteries with LevertonHELM’s advanced lithium production capabilities, the partnership aims to reduce the UK’s reliance on imported raw materials and support the transition to a greener economy.
Under the terms of the MOU, LevertonHELM will initially qualify technical grade lithium carbonate recovered from end-of-life EV batteries and production scrap at Altilium’s recycling facilities in Devon. This is expected to lead to offtake and tolling agreements for the supply of recycled lithium in the UK, thus helping to meet the demand for sustainable and domestically sourced battery materials.
Lithium is a critical component in EV batteries and demand is set to increase significantly over the coming decade as EV adoption accelerates. Currently the UK is dependent on the global market for this battery raw material, with China responsible for the refining of 60-70% of lithium found in EV batteries.
Altilium’s recently opened ACT2 recycling facility in Plymouth has capacity to recover lithium and other battery metals from 300kg of black mass waste (the equivalent of one EV battery) per day, using its proprietary EcoCathode™ process. In addition to producing cathode active materials (CAM) for qualification with automotive customers, the facility will produce high volumes of lithium, available for re-entry into
the British supply chain.
As well as strengthening the domestic supply chain for lithium, Altilium’s recycling process also reduces the carbon footprint of lithium production and will enable battery manufacturers to comply with new EU battery regulations. As of August 2031, new EV batteries in the EU must contain at least 6% lithium from recycling, rising to 12% by 2036.
Headquartered in Basingstoke, LevertonHELM is a leading producer of high-quality lithium chemicals with a worldwide customer base across demanding industrial applications. The two companies will also explore the joint development of alternative lithium processing techniques.
Stefan Berner Beltrán, Principal Engineer and Lithium Raw Materials Lead at Altilium, commented: “This is a great opportunity to support the UK’s efforts to secure such an important mineral for the energy transition. By working together on alternative technologies, we can unlock the most value from domestic urban mining, aiming for greener and more efficient refining processes.”
Merve Cruz, Director Partnerships and Strategic Sourcing at HELM Energy Materials, added: “Partnering with Altilium is a promising step forward in developing the HELM lithium portfolio. The planned alliance underlines our focus on specialized solutions and the much-needed approach of recycling existing resources to support a sustainable supply chain for lithium, especially in Europe and the UK.”
