Gelion, an Anglo-Australian battery innovator, announced that its UK subsidiary, Battery Minerals Ltd, has successfully completed Phase 1 of the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK’s (APC) Technology Developer Accelerator Programme (TDAP). Following this achievement, Battery Minerals has secured £100,000 in Phase 2 grant funding, along with an additional £75,000 booster grant from the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT). These funds support the commercialization of the company’s recycling technology.
Battery Minerals is focused on developing Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) recycling technologies, a part of the battery-related technologies Gelion acquired from Johnson Matthey in 2023. The primary objective of TDAP Phase 1 was to demonstrate commercial viability by engaging potential customers and partners to facilitate the scaling and commercial deployment of the technology, a goal that has been reached successfully.
- Establishing commercial demand for its recycling technology offerings.
- Designing a modular unit that integrates with existing black mass producers, allowing lithium extraction with lower capital investment.
- Enabling localized processing to reduce reliance on external supply chains.
- Ensuring cost-effective operations even at smaller scales.
These accomplishments highlight the potential of Gelion’s technology to provide sustainable, efficient, and economically viable battery recycling solutions. The technology offers an alternative to large-scale refineries, which are typically more costly and time-consuming to build, by allowing localized processing of battery waste. This development is timely, aligning with the EU’s minimum recycled content targets for batteries, which require at least 6% lithium from recycled sources by 2031, and the increasing shift by battery manufacturers and OEMs to incorporate more recycled content in their cells.
Advancing to Phase 2 of the TDAP program validates the potential of Battery Minerals’ technology and the commercial traction it has achieved. Phase 2, scheduled from February 2025 to November 2025, will focus on technology validation. This phase includes further development of the recycling process with partners to enhance the technology-readiness level (TRL) and potentially conduct a feasibility study for a larger-scale pilot plant. The booster grant will facilitate the acceleration of research by establishing a dedicated laboratory facility and expanding the research team.
The increasing volume of battery waste presents both an environmental challenge and an economic opportunity, projected to be worth $30-40 billion globally by 2030. Additionally, it offers a strategic opportunity for securing self-sufficient mineral supplies.
Source: Gelion News
