A consortium of Jaguar Land Rover, LiBatt Recycling, WMG at the University of Warwick and Mint Innovation has secured £8.1 million to develop a large-scale process for recovering lithium, nickel and cobalt from end-of-life EV batteries. The project supports the UK’s drive towards a circular battery economy.
The goal is to demonstrate low-carbon hydrometallurgical refining of black mass from lithium-ion batteries in the UK. The technology platform will recover lithium, nickel and cobalt from end-of-life batteries, helping the UK automotive industry secure an onshore and circular supply of the critical materials needed for EV production. With demand rising and an estimated 235 kilotonnes of EV battery waste expected in the UK by 2040, the project addresses a gap in industrial-scale recycling, where verified recycled materials are not yet produced domestically.
Each partner in the consortium has a role in ensuring a sustainable lifecycle for lithium-ion batteries, from end-of-life supply and processing through to integrating recycled materials into new batteries. This approach aims to close the loop, increase supply chain resilience and reduce reliance on virgin resources. Jaguar Land Rover contributes automotive application expertise, LiBatt Recycling manages battery collection and processing, Mint Innovation provides the refining process, and WMG supports integration into new cells.
As mentioned above, the consortium will have a budget of 8.1 million pounds. Half of the funding, £4.05 million, comes from the Department for Business and Trade through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), as part of the £2.5 billion DRIVE35 programme to strengthen the domestic EV supply chain.
The three-year project will take place in the West Midlands and run until 2028, aiming to prove battery recycling as a strategic pillar of the UK’s electrification roadmap.
“Together, we’re able to advance zero-emission automotive manufacturing at a faster pace, pioneering sustainable lithium-ion battery recycling solutions to secure onshore supply of green materials critical for the UK’s rapidly growing EV industry,” said Dr Will Barker, CEO of Mint Innovation.
“This new investment underlines the commitment from government to secure advanced manufacturing in the UK,” said Ian Constance, CEO of APC UK. Robin Brundle, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Recyclus Group, added: “This project marks a major milestone in advancing the UK’s circular battery economy. Mint’s scalable process is exactly what the industry needs, and we believe this project will deliver tangible results that move us closer to realising a cradle-to-cradle vision.”
WMG also stressed the role of advanced materials research. “We’re incredibly excited to be working in this consortium to manufacture lithium-ion battery materials from recycled sources,” said Dr Beth Johnston, Assistant Professor. “Our processes help reduce reliance on virgin materials, address supply chain challenges and advance circularity to enable more widespread electrification.”
mint.bio, warwick.ac.uk
