Spotlight on the Recycling Market

May 27, 2026

Recycling End -of-Life EV batteries for Mineral Extraction

This article focuses on the recycling of End-of-Life (EOL) Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries. In the previous two articles we have discussed both the re-use and repurposing of EV batteries, so now let us discuss the final step in the chain(or is it?).
A battery could be sent to be recycled for any number of reasons. It could be damaged; it could have reached a level of degradation meaning that the battery no longer has sufficient capacity to make it useful or there could be zero demand for that model of battery in the market. Either way, it is illegal to place batteries in landfill, so recycling is the next step in the journey. Recycling is not a straightforward process. It involves a series of steps to take it from being a battery back to its original source metals.

Step 1
First the battery needs to be dismantled. This involves separating as many components as possible before the more destructive Step 2. An example would be to separate the outer casing of the battery from the internal parts. The more materials that can be separated in Step 1, the lower volume of material that needs to be passed into Step 2, thus reducing overall processing costs.

Step 2
This involves placing the remaining part of the battery into a mechanical shredder. This machine crushes and shreds the battery into a substance called Black Mass (BM). BM contains a number of metals and minerals, of varying value and volumes, all of which need to be extracted in Step 3.

Step 3
The refining of BM is where various methods are used to extract the precious metals in as pure a form as possible. There are several different processes that could be used to do that. At Altilium Clean Technology (parent company of recell.store) they use the hydrometallurgical process which involves the use of water-based chemical solutions (acids, solvents, reagents) to dissolve and extract valuable metals.

At the end of these three steps you are left with a number of precious metals that can be used to provide the next generation of battery material – primarily lithium, nickel, manganese, graphite and cobalt.
We all understand why batteries should not go to landfill, but what are the other benefits of recycling?
First of all, recycling makes batteries more sustainable. Using recycled content reduces carbon emissions compared with using virgin, mined materials. It helps the UK become more resilient by being able to source our own materials where we are currently wholly reliant on overseas markets and, lastly, it is also part of an exciting and growing battery supply chain, bringing new jobs and value to the UK economy.
Did you know that batteries can be recycled not just the once? So, at the start of the article, I questioned whether recycling was the third and final step of this chain. With >99% of materials being extracted, each time, it is believed that batteries can be recycled time and time again, providing the UK with a secure, sustainable supply of critical minerals for many years to come.

Market Distinction
The value of recycling is heavily influenced by the value of the commodity market and the costs of processing the battery itself. This creates a different pricing methodology vs re-use and repurpose, a price that is lower and indeed for some types of battery chemistry, a negative price(called a gate fee in the industry). This is where the cost of processing and extracting the metals is more than the value of the finished product. For example, an NMC battery, comprising Nickel, Cobalt and Manganese, is worth more than a LFP battery, comprising Lithium Ferrous Phosphate, because those metals in an NMC battery are worth more.
So, at the end of our third and final article in this series, what are the key takeaways.

  1. Within the waste hierarchy, there are three key stages for an EV battery. They are re-use, repurpose and recycle.

  2. The value of a battery will vary according to what stage the battery is entering.

  3. Be prepared to provide different information for each stage as the buyers are different.

  4. The UK battery supply chain is critical to the UK in reducing carbon emissions, increasing industrial resilience and providing high quality roles.

At recell.store, we aim to connect buyers and sellers of EOL EV batteries. By working closely with buyers, we help ensure sellers have access to the right information needed to make informed commercial decisions.