According to SMS group, this new partnership will bring the commercialization of an environmentally friendly recycling solution for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) to North America. The system Primobius has developed combines mechanical and hydrometallurgical processes to bring high-purity metals back into the battery supply chain.
 
“We recognize the need to secure access to large volumes of future end-of-life LIBs and the present need to recycle a significantly growing volume of end-of-life batteries and production scrap from LIB cell production in the United States,” said Hans Ferkel, chief technology officer at SMS group and Primobius Member of the Advisory Board.
 
The partnership gives Stelco direct access to a sustainable industrial-scale battery recycling solution, according to SMS group.
 
Stelco executive chairman and chief executive officer Alan Kestenbaum said, “With this novel approach, Stelco is uniquely positioned to provide the highest-quality automotive steels available in North America as well as a greater value proposition to its customers. By providing this service, Stelco will be able to recycle end-of-life electric vehicles, convert them into green steel and recover from their batteries high purity metals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese.
 
“The synergies obtained by joining the leading engineering company in the world with the leading battery metals technology company and with our state-of-the-art steelmaking capabilities position Stelco as the best-in-class partner to automotive OEMs, particularly those pursuing electric vehicle strategies,” Kestenbaum added.