Mercedes-Benz Building Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Plant

Mercedes-Benz has begun building a pilot hydrometallurgy-based battery recycling plant in Kuppenheim, Germany, aiming to increase the company’s recycling rate to more than 96 percent.

Cindy Brauer・Former Managing Editor

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March 28, 2022

Mercedes-Benz Building Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Plant — Scheduled to begin operations in 2023, the project is intended to set ecological standards in battery recycling: the patented hydrometallurgy process design is expected to allow a holistic circular economy of battery materials.
Mercedes-Benz

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Marking a milestone in its global recycling strategy, Mercedes-Benz has begun building a pilot hydrometallurgy-based battery recycling plant in Kuppenheim, Germany, aiming to increase the company’s recycling rate to more than 96% while expanding expertise in battery value creation.

“Mercedes-Benz is pursuing a clear goal with a view to conserving resources: a maximum circular economy for all raw materials used. Sustainable battery recycling is a key factor in this – worldwide,” explained Jörg Burzer, board member, Mercedes-Benz Group AG, production and supply chain management.

Scheduled to begin operations in 2023, the project is intended to set ecological standards in battery recycling: the patented hydrometallurgy process design is expected to allow a holistic circular economy of battery materials.

The Kuppenheim plant capacity is expected to reach 2,500 tons. Recovered materials will be fed back into the recycling loop to produce more than 50,000 battery modules for new Mercedes-EQ models.

Mercedes-Benz’s wholly owned subsidiary LICULAR GmbH will work with technology partner Primobius on the facility's conceptual design and construction. Scientific support will be provided by the research institutes of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the Technical Universities of Clausthal and Berlin.

Topics:Sustainability Mercedes-Benz Battery-Electric Vehicles Global Fleet

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