German firm offers new route to reduce Europe’s lithium reliance

China supplies as much as 70% of the battery-grade lithium chemicals used in Europe. A German recycling company is hoping its expanded facility can help reduce that reliance, although major challenges remain.

At a production site in Krefeld, Germany, the family-owned recycling company is recovering lithium from used batteries through a process that does not depend on aggressive chemicals.

Speaking to Euronews, Simon Bremer, the company’s head of development, explained how the technology works, why Europe has lagged behind in battery recycling and what changes are needed in the continent’s approach to critical raw materials.

The technology was developed by Accurec Recycling GmbH, which has been specialising in battery recycling for more than 30 years. Established in 1995, Accurec has focused on recycling batteries since its creation. Its early work centred on nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries, rechargeable technologies that have since largely been replaced by lithium-ion systems.

Lithium-ion batteries have become increasingly widespread over the past 15 years, powering products ranging from smartphones and cordless power tools to electric vehicles. Lithium is a key component of rechargeable batteries and therefore plays an important role in the energy transition, including in electric cars and energy storage systems supporting wind and solar power.

Despite the growing importance of the material, Europe remains strongly dependent on China for processed lithium. Bremer estimates that Chinese producers currently account for around 65% to 70% of battery-grade lithium chemicals.

China has previously shown that it can restrict supplies of strategically important materials, including rare earths and germanium, raising concerns about the vulnerability of European manufacturers to potential supply disruptions.

Accurec has spent roughly a decade developing its lithium-ion battery recycling operations at its Krefeld site. The facility currently processes around 5,000 tonnes of batteries each year.

At its newest facility, the company can initially recover about 50% of the lithium contained in the batteries, according to Bremer. That level meets the recovery target established under EU legislation for 2027.

However, Accurec is already working to improve that figure.

"We have been working on expanding the plant for about a month now. That means ramping up both capacity and yield so that in the first quarter of 2027 we will be able to recover 80 percent or more," Bremer said.

The expansion is already in progress, with Accurec investing €5.5 million to double the operating area of its Krefeld facility. The company aims to raise its annual processing capacity to as much as 20,000 tonnes of used batteries, four times the current volume.

Accurec does not claim that its technology alone can resolve Europe’s raw materials challenges. However, the company sees domestic battery recycling as an important way to diversify supply, while allowing valuable materials to remain in Europe instead of being exported.

By Nazrin Sadigova