Recycling for the circular economy

Primobius has a sustainability ethos, designing its advanced recycling solution to integrate into the circular economy, promoting the reduction of CO2 and reduced reliance on finite primary resources.

Presently the linear economy predominates. Society take resources, make products from them and then dispose of them after only a short period of usage. This uses vast quantities of finite raw resources and generates high  volumes of emissions and waste. Primobius supports the transition to a circular economy that promotes using only that which we need, reducing waste and making the most of all our resources for the betterment of our planet.

Moreover, Primobius has been designing its business model to meet and surpass the strict regulatory requirements of today and the future.

Reduction of carbon footprint

The reality is that electric vehicles have a very large legacy CO2 footprint from the production phase owing to the ‘whole of life’ carbon emissions associated with the battery raw materials involved. Notwithstanding that, electric vehicles with no tailpipe emissions, break even on CO2 footprint with internal combustion engine vehicles during the ‘use-phase’.

Global brands are motivated to decarbonise further to ensure this break-even occurs as early as possible. The incumbent LIB recycling technology is highly inefficient and offers poor recovery rates. The need for a better and more sustainable solution is pressing.

A sustainable way forward

Significant market ‘tailwinds’ exist to support the Primobius recycling solution which offers a sustainable, industrial-scale alternative that will drastically reduce the CO2 footprint of LIB supply chain participants and help industry sectors to 'close the loop'. Domestic ‘responsible’ sources of what are predicted to be tightly constrained future supplies of  battery raw materials will reduce the requirement to extract the next tonne of mined material and transport it around the globe for processing and upgrading.

In addition to supporting supply chain decarbonisation and reduced reliance on foreign mined raw materials, the Primobius recycling solution will divert hazardous LIB waste from landfill or inefficient pyrometallurgical recycling and reduce the very real fire risk during stockpile and transport of whole LIB cells.

In a world where manufacturers are measured by their ethics and environmental footprint, Primobius will deliver. Rather than extraction from the ground, Primobius recovers battery raw materials from urban sources and fits into the value chain (green icon) as an integrated recycler/refiner supplying cathode makers and others.

Battery regulations

Primobius process addresses key aspects of new European regulations

The Primobius process and business model are very closely aligned with the EU’s decarbonisation and clean energy objectives. The EU Battery Regulations mirror the compliance levels seen in other proactive countries and represent the path forward for other western jurisdictions to achieve modern carbon transparency. Specifically, the Primobius process will address these key aspects of the new regulations pursuant to the amended Battery Directive:

  • Carbon footprint – Primobius has undertaken an independent and ISO-compliant ‘gate to gate’ baseline life cycle assessment (“LCA”) as part of its environmental accounting program. This data will be continually updated through the Company’s scale-up and commercialization programs to highlight the excellent environmental credentials of the business and the technology
  • Recycled efficiency – Against the EU mandated 65% recycling efficiency by 2025, Primobius targets 95% recycling efficiency by weight of all battery constituents (high and low value)
  • Recovery – Primobius’ process has been designed to ensure staged mandatory recovery minimums are met for key materials (Co, Ni, Li and Cu)