Mint Innovation has secured £8.1 million to advance its lithium-ion battery recycling project in the United Kingdom. The funding, provided in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover, LiBatt Recycling (a subsidiary of Recyclus Group), and Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick, includes £4.05 million from the UK Department for Business and Trade through the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC).
The three-year initiative will demonstrate Mint’s low-carbon, hydrometallurgical black mass refining process at a pilot scale in the West Midlands. The technology recovers critical metals—lithium, nickel and cobalt—from end-of-life batteries, producing recycled materials for reuse in electric vehicle (EV) batteries. By establishing an onshore circular supply chain, the project aims to strengthen domestic resilience against growing battery waste, which the APC estimates could reach 235 kilotons in the UK by 2040.
This effort falls under the UK government’s DRIVE35 program, which targets a £2.5 billion investment into the EV manufacturing supply chain and related job creation. The initiative supports national net-zero emissions goals by promoting sustainable production and recycling methods.
“Our team is incredibly excited to partner with JLR, LiBatt Recycling, Recyclus Group, and WMG in this innovative consortium. Together, we’re able to advance zero emission automative 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”, says Dr Will Barker, CEO of Mint Innovation.
Each partner has a defined role in the value chain: Jaguar Land Rover will provide end-of-life battery feedstock; LiBatt Recycling will handle initial processing; WMG will validate material performance for new battery cells; and Mint will optimize the hydrometallurgical refining at demonstration scale. The consortium seeks to prove that recycled feedstocks can meet the performance standards required by modern EV batteries, reducing reliance on virgin raw materials.
Mint Innovation, known for its commercial-scale printed circuit board recovery technology launched in Sydney in 2022, plans to expand its hydrometallurgy platform globally. The company’s patented processes have earned recognition at COP28 and by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer.
Source: Mint Innovation News and Press
