Fortum Battery Recycling and Hydrovolt have signed an agreement to provide black mass to Fortum’s battery waste recycling plant in Finland. This partnership involves a cross-Nordic process: Hydrovolt begins by mechanically recycling EV batteries at its first industrial plant in Fredrikstad, Norway. After the batteries have been crushed and converted into black matter, the material is transferred to Fortum’s hydrometallurgical facility in Harjavalta for further processing. Harjavalta uses cutting-edge hydrometallurgical procedures to extract precious and crucial metals from black matter, which are subsequently reintroduced into the cycle for use in the creation of new lithium-ion batteries.
This collaboration with Hydrovolt adds to Fortum’s significant experience in lithium-ion battery recycling. Fortum Battery Recycling promises to revolutionise the lithium-ion battery value chain for electric car and industrial batteries, while Hydrovolt is a market leader with a unique dry-environment method that offers increased security and cleaner output. Both firms hope that this collaboration will help to develop their Nordic relationship network.
Tero Holländer, Head of Fortum Battery Recycling, expresses enthusiasm about the partnership, emphasizing the importance of collaborating with like-minded partners to provide safe, cost-effective, and sustainable services for battery handling. Together, they aim to drive the battery industry forward with more efficient and sustainable solutions, while promoting collaboration and expertise in the Nordic region.
Ole-Christen Enger, CEO of Hydrovolt, shares similar sentiments, highlighting the innovative and robust nature of Fortum Battery Recycling. This collaboration, he notes, sets a leading example in the Nordics, championing sustainable battery recycling and closed-loop systems to secure critical raw materials.
The growing need for battery recycling is underscored by the new EU sustainable batteries regulation, which mandates manufacturers in various industries to gradually increase the use of recycled materials in batteries. Collaborations such as the one between Fortum Battery Recycling and Hydrovolt are vital to driving the battery recycling industry forward and achieving clean electrification.
