Inside a small lab in south-west England, the future of clean energy is being shaped. At first glance, it doesn’t look like much. It sits across from a tyre shop in Tavistock, a quiet town surrounded by green hills. But inside, a team at Altilium is doing something powerful. They’re turning old electric car batteries into valuable new materials.

The work begins with something called “black mass.” It’s made by crushing used batteries into fine black powder. Each grain is less than a millimetre wide. This powder is full of useful metals like lithium, cobalt, graphite, and nickel. These metals are key parts of new electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

Before these metals can be reused, waste like plastic and steel must be removed. That process happens at Altilium’s lab, where workers use clean, water-based methods to separate the useful parts. The goal is simple: recycle old batteries to help build new ones. And in doing so, cut down on mining and pollution.

The Push for Clean Energy

The world is moving away from fossil fuels. Wind, solar, and other renewable sources are growing. More people are driving EVs. In 2023, nearly 1 in 5 cars sold was electric, according to the International Energy Agency. That’s a 35 percent jump from the year before.

But with more EVs come more batteries—and more need for the rare metals inside them.

Getting these metals isn’t easy. Indonesia provides over half of the world’s nickel. The Democratic Republic of Congo gives us two-thirds of our cobalt. These countries face serious human rights concerns in their mining operations.

Christian Marston, Altilium’s president, says we need a better way. Instead of digging up more minerals, we should reuse what we already have. That’s where battery recycling comes in.

Turning Black Powder Into Green Solutions

In Altilium’s lab, glass cylinders hold blue and green liquids. Tubes link them like a puzzle. A worker in a lab coat watches closely. This is the solvent extraction lab. Here, valuable metals are drawn out of the black mass.

It wasn’t always like this. The project started in late 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Altilium finally leased the site in 2022 and turned an empty building into a working lab. Now, they are building a larger plant near Plymouth. It will produce materials for new battery makers.

Few companies in the world are doing this kind of work. But the timing couldn’t be better. Governments and businesses are aiming for net-zero emissions. Battery recycling is a big step in that direction.

Marston says many people still believe old batteries end up in landfills. But recycling keeps these harmful, useful items out of the environment. It also saves money and protects health.

What Happens to the Black Mass?

Black mass looks like soot but is very rich in value. It holds bits of graphite from the battery’s anode, and metals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel from the cathode. These parts are wrapped in layers, like a Swiss roll, which makes them hard to separate.

The old way to recycle involved burning the materials, a process called pyrometallurgy. It was dirty and wasteful. Altilium now uses a cleaner method called hydrometallurgy. It relies on water and acids to extract the metals without high heat.

First, they soak the black mass in sulphuric acid to pull out the graphite. The liquid that remains still contains other metals. Some, like copper and iron, are less useful. So they’re removed and reused in construction. The more precious metals—nickel, cobalt, and manganese—are then separated with kerosene and special solvents.

Building a Closed Loop

Ben Wickham, Altilium’s Chief Technology Officer, says battery chemistry is changing fast. Some companies are moving away from nickel because it’s costly. Still, he believes nickel will remain important because it stores energy well.

Altilium hopes to create custom blends of metals for battery companies. That way, firms don’t have to rely on far-away mines or unstable supply chains. Marston calls this a “closed-loop EV battery supply chain.” That means everything happens in the UK—from recycling to reuse.

Why Recycling Matters More Than Ever

Dr. Anna Hankin from Imperial College London supports the effort. She says recycling is a must, even though restoring batteries can work for a short time.

By reusing old batteries, we need fewer mines. Mining hurts nature and often affects people in poor areas. By 2040, experts believe over half the demand for nickel and lithium could be met through recycling.

Xiaochu Wei, another expert from Imperial, says battery recycling could soon meet 10 to 40 percent of raw material needs. But manufacturers must design batteries that are easier to take apart and reuse.

The International Energy Agency also says recycling could cut new mining by 40 percent by 2050. That’s a big step for the planet.

A Safer, More Secure Future

Recycling also makes countries more secure. Marston says nations like the UK rely too much on imports. If global trade breaks down, that puts everything at risk.

The UK has no big supply of metals like lithium or cobalt. But if it recycles batteries at home, it keeps control of these key resources. It also creates local jobs and cleaner factories.

Altilium’s next plant will run all day and all night. If it works well, they plan to build two more. Marston says recycling at scale can make materials 20 percent cheaper than buying new ones. The new plant could handle 150,000 used batteries a year.