Recyclus receives lithium-ion environmental permit

Technology Minerals Plc, United Kingdom, announced its 49-percent-owned battery recycling business, Recyclus Group Ltd., has been awarded an environmental permit by the Environment Agency (EA) for its recycling plant in Wolverhampton, West Midlands.

The company says the permit is a key step toward commencement of operations, as it provides the critical legal foundation from which Recyclus can receive the variation of license required to enable to Wolverhampton site to be fully operational. According to Technology Minerals, the variation of license is required because of the novelty of recycling lithium-ion batteries within the U.K.

The EA also has prioritized the determination of Recyclus’ application to transfer its permits across its lithium-ion Wolverhampton plant and lead-acid Tipton plant. Technology Minerals says this priority status has been given to Recyclus as the EA is satisfied that the development of the company will help maintain national resilience, national infrastructure and/or is critical for environmental protection.

“Receiving the EA permit for our Wolverhampton plant is a critical step for the recycling facility to become fully operational which, for the first time, will bring industrial-scale recycling capability for lithium-ion batteries in the U.K.,” Technology Minerals Chairman Robin Brundle says. “To be awarded priority status and be categorized as an organization critical for environmental protection is fantastic.”

Brundle continues, “This high-level of recognition from the EA is reflective of the importance of Recyclus’ ambition to recycle batteries and establish a circular economy for battery metals in the U.K. With the increasing demand for critical battery metals, we are pleased to be seen as integral to ensuring a domestic supply chain through recycling.”

This is the second EA permit awarded to Recyclus in two weeks following the environmental permit obtained for its Tipton recycling facility earlier this month.

Once the Wolverhampton site is fully operational, it will be the first in the U.K. with the capacity to recycle lithium-ion batteries on an industrial scale and, the company says, will be a key foundation of Recyclus’ ambition to increase its lithium-ion battery recycling capacity from an estimated 8,300 metric tons in the first full year of operations to approximately 41,500 metric tons by 2027.