PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Over the past two decades, the production of batteries has increased following the growth of the electronic market, the diffusion of electric vehicles and the increasing application of energy storage modules. A specific role is played by Li-ion batteries, with 75 000 tonnes of batteries introduced on the market in 2015, a number which is expected to grow by ten times in 2025. The market demand is satisfied mainly by Asia (85%), whilst the EU has only a minor percentage of the market share. To address this situation, and driven by the Clean Energy Transition package, in 2018 the European Commission adopted a set of concrete measures to develop a sustainable and competitive battery 'ecosystem'. In particular, the package promotes the need for efficient recycling processes for end-of-life batteries, which are abundant in the EU, and the production of high-performance materials at competitive prices. In addition, by increasing the quota of recycled Li-ion batteries the dispersion of hazardous components is prevented, as regulated in the EU Batteries Regulation (2023/1542/EU).
OBJECTIVES
The objective of the LIFE DRONE project was to develop a novel recycling route for end-of-life Li-ion batteries, and to recover raw materials to be reintroduced into the European market. The new process was expected to show significantly lower processing costs and better environmental impact compared to other processes (i.e., pyrometallurgical or hydrometallurgical) employed to recover the different battery metals, in particular nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co) and manganese (Mn). The main idea was to scale up an innovative recycling process to recover graphite and directly synthesise a high-quality cathodic material for new nickel, manganese and cobalt (NMC) batteries, without the need to separate the individual metals, thus reducing costs of the process. NMC batteries are one of the most successful Li-ion systems that can be employed for Energy Cells or Power Cells. Furthermore, in place of single elements, a blend of NMC was used to produce batteries, thus reducing production costs and achieving good performances.
The proposed recycling process included hydrometallurgical treatment of the electrodic powder to separate graphite and produce a mixed hydroxide of nickel, cobalt and manganese, as well as the synthesis of the NMC oxide. The treatment included the leaching of the powder, graphite filtration, purification of the leaching solution by precipitation of impurities, and the crystallisation of the mixed hydroxide.
RESULTS
The project was overall implemented as foreseen and successfully achieved its expected results.
A semi-mobile pilot plant capable of processing black mass was installed at Ecorecycling's premises in Civita Castellana. Through this hydrometallurgical process, the project successfully synthesised nickel-cobalt-oxide and recovered graphite with a purity of more than 99%, enabling its reuse in battery manufacturing.
During the project, more than 3 tonnes of lithium-based batteries were collected, sorted and processed by the cryo-mechanical section at SEVAL's premises in Colico. At this site, the initial recovery of raw materials, including nonmagnetic fraction (aluminium, copper, plastics and carboard), and magnetic fraction (as iron) took place. The so-called "black mass" (containing the valuable metals from cathode and anode) separated during the mechanical process was then delivered to Ecorecycling's premises, where it was processed by the hydrometallurgical plant and subjected to a synthesis process to produce graphite and NMC oxide.
The project confirmed and even exceeded the expected recovery yields in some cases, reaching a purity level (99% purity both for cobalt, manganese and nickel) suitable for batteries application.
Although the project team was unable to produce batteries with a capacity of 10–20 Ah, they successfully assembled a series of coin cells with adequate capacity density, demonstrating that the pilot plant's outputs can be effectively reused in battery manufacturing.
The environmental targets set by the project were achieved, except for wastewater reduction (with nevertheless 63.4% reduction compared to baseline hydrometallurgical treatments), for which strategies for an improvement are already being identified.
In terms of commercial viability, the project team estimated that the minimum size of an industrial plant to ensure economic feasibility would be approximately 500 tonnes per year. The possibility of constructing the first LIFE Drone industrial plant is under evaluation in both Italy and Germany.
The project complies with the new EU Batteries Regulation 2023/1542 and is overall in line with the ambitious recycling targets set for 2027 and 2031. Furthermore, it supports recycling by aiming to increase recovery rates and reduce dependency on non-EU suppliers, aligning with the goals of the Critical Raw Materials Act (2023) and contributing to the broader objectives of the circular economy.
