Neometals announced on Friday that its battery recycling joint venture has inked a collaboration agreement with Licular, a recycling subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz AG, to use Primobius as the technology partner.
The arrangement comes after both firms announced in March that Primobius, a joint venture between Neometals and SMS Group, will be their technology partner for the design and building of a 2,500-tonne-per-year lithium-ion battery recycling plant.
According to Neometals, Primobius will collaborate with Licular on long-term research and development for recycling cell forms and chemistries. The collaboration will also provide a non-exclusive technology licence for the recycling facility along with staff training and plant management.
The recycling plant, which will be built in two stages and has a minimum design capacity of 10 tonnes per day, will be operated at Mercedes-Kuppenheim Benz’s operations in southern Germany said the group.
The agreement will begin and become legally enforceable once Primobius gets a purchase order from Licular for the supply and installation of plant equipment. Neometals said it will last until December 31, 2026.
Neometals said Primobius will assist Licular with activating the Recycling Plant, getting permissions, approvals, and government funding, training Licular’s personnel and providing on-site engineering support at no cost.
Licular will acquire the essential equipment for the Recycling Plant’s implementation from Primobius according to the group.
During the phase of Recycling Plant operations, the parties will exchange information to enhance efficiency and jointly analyse the feasibility of monetizing the recycling technology and circular economy strategy.
Christopher Reed, Managing Director, Neometals, said “We are delighted to formalise our long-term cooperation agreement with Mercedes-Benz. The R&D collaboration is as important to us as successfully supplying the equipment.”
“We are excited to work together to develop a more holistic recycling solution covering logistics, handling, compliance and sustainability. We are grateful for the opportunity and accept the challenge to futureproof our processing technology.”
Neometals shares rose 7% to 77p after the announcement of the collaboration on Friday.
