An European Milestone in Germany: Industrial Scale Recovery of Lithium from Used Batteries
German company Accurec-Recycling GmbH, which has been engaged in the recovery of secondary raw materials from used batteries for 30 years, achieved a significant milestone in December of last year with the official inauguration of its new plant. As underlined, the medium-sized and technology-driven firm with sites in Mülheim an der Ruhr and Krefeld is the first EU company able to recover lithium from old batteries.
The thermochemical process developed by the company converts critical raw materials into an easily separable form using minimal energy and resources, enabling their efficient extraction. “With our CLIMA process (Critical Raw Materials Recovery from Li-Battery Waste Management), we achieve a high yield and quality of over 99 percent,” Dr. Reiner Sojka, founder and managing director of Accurec, was cited. “The urgently needed raw materials can therefore remain in Europe and strengthen our raw material resilience.” And the representative of the EU, Jessika Roswall (European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy), stated that the recycling of lithium batteries “is essential to meet Europe’s needs in the areas of clean energy, digital transformation, sustainable transport, defense, and other areas. The Accurec lithium battery recycling plant is at the forefront of this work.”
Accurec – Accu(mulator)rec(ycling) – has already developed several processes for all major battery systems, including nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, and lithium-ion. According to the information, the company is able to design, build, and operate its recycling plants entirely in-house, supported by a highly qualified team of engineers. Another process step in the new lithium recovery system was developed as part of the EarLi*) research project in cooperation with Evonik, aiming to further improve lithium yield.
*) “Extraction and purification of lithium hydroxide monohydrate from used electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries for battery cell production.” The project was funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany.
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 1/2026, Page 15, Photo: Felicia Weyhe, Accurec-Recycling GmbH)
