- Europe's first battery recycling plant using integrated
mechanical-hydrometallurgical process opens in Kuppenheim in
southern Germany
- Milestone on the road to enhancing raw materials sustainability
thanks to an expected recovery rate of more than 96 percent and net
CO2 -neutral1 operation
- Plant to generate enough recycled materials to produce more
than 50,000 new battery modules per year
- Double-digit million-euro investment underpins holistic
Mercedes-Benz approach to battery circularity and value creation in
Germany
- Cooperation with technology partner Primobius and renowned
research institutes
Mercedes-Benz today opened Europe's first battery recycling
plant with an integrated mechanical-hydrometallurgical process
making it the first car manufacturer worldwide1 to close the
battery recycling loop with its own in-house facility. The
recycling plant in Kuppenheim, southern Germany, creates a genuine
circular economy. This underpins the pioneering spirit and
innovative strength of Mercedes-Benz as it strives to significantly
reduce the consumption of valuable primary resources. Unlike
existing established processes, the expected recovery rate of the
mechanical-hydrometallurgical recycling plant is more than 96
percent. Valuable and scarce raw materials such as lithium, nickel
and cobalt can be recovered – in a way which is suitable for use in
new batteries for future all-electric Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The
company has invested tens of millions of euros in the construction
of the new battery recycling plant and thus in the value creation
in Germany. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Baden-Württemberg's
Environment Minister Thekla Walker visited the plant for the
opening ceremony in Kuppenheim, Baden.
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Mercedes-Benz opens own recycling factory
to close the battery loop. Europe's first battery recycling plant
using integrated mechanical-hydrometallurgical process opens in
Kuppenheim in southern Germany. (Photo: Business Wire)
“Mercedes-Benz has set itself the goal of
building the most desirable cars in a sustainable way. As a pioneer
in automotive engineering, Europe's first integrated
mechanical-hydrometallurgical battery recycling factory marks a key
milestone towards enhancing raw-materials sustainability. Together
with our partners from industry and science, we are sending a
strong signal of innovative strength for sustainable electric
mobility and value creation in Germany and Europe.” Ola Källenius,
Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG
“The future of the automobile is electric, and
batteries are an essential component of this. To produce batteries
in a resource-conserving and sustainable way, recycling is also
key. The circular economy is a growth engine and, at the same time,
an essential building block for achieving our climate targets! I
congratulate Mercedes-Benz for its courage and foresight shown by
this investment in Kuppenheim. Germany remains a cutting-edge
market for new and innovative technologies.” Olaf Scholz, Federal
Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
Mercedes-Benz’s technology partner for the battery recycling
factory is Primobius, a joint venture between German plant and
mechanical engineering company SMS group and Australian process
technology developer Neometals. The plant is receiving funding from
the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
as part of a scientific research project with three German
universities. The project looks at the entire process chain for
recycling, including logistics and reintegration concepts. The
partners are thus making an important contribution to future
scaling of the battery recycling industry in Germany.
Integrated mechanical-hydrometallurgical recycling concept For
the first time in Europe, the Mercedes-Benz battery recycling plant
covers all steps from shredding battery modules to drying and
processing active battery materials. The mechanical process sorts
and separates plastics, copper, aluminium, and iron in a complex,
multi-stage process. The downstream hydrometallurgical process is
dedicated to the so-called black mass. These are the active
materials that make up the electrodes of the battery cells. The
valuable metals cobalt, nickel and lithium are extracted
individually in a multi-stage chemical process. These recyclates
are of battery quality and therefore suitable for use in the
production of new battery cells.
Unlike the pyrometallurgy established in Europe today, the
hydrometallurgical process is less intensive in terms of energy
consumption and material waste. Its low process temperatures of up
to 80 degrees Celsius mean it consumes less energy. In addition,
like all Mercedes-Benz production plants, the recycling plant
operates in a net carbon-neutral2 manner. It is supplied with 100
percent green electricity. The roof area of the 6800 square-metre
building is equipped with a photovoltaic system with a peak output
of more than 350 kilowatts.
The Mercedes-Benz battery recycling plant in Kuppenheim has an
annual capacity of 2,500 tonnes. The recovered materials feed into
the production of more than 50,000 battery modules for new
all-electric Mercedes-Benz models. The knowledge gained could help
scale up production volumes in the medium to long term.
Holistic approach to battery value creation Mercedes-Benz takes
a holistic approach to the circularity of battery systems and
considers three core topics: circular design, value retention and
closing the material loop. With its Design for Circularity
approach, the company takes the entire battery technology value
chain into account from the outset. At the Mercedes-Benz eCampus in
Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, which opened in 2024, circular thinking
flows into the development of new battery cells. Battery production
for electric Mercedes-Benz vehicles is net carbon-neutral3 in
battery factories on three continents. Local battery production is
a key factor for the success of the Mercedes-Benz sustainable
business strategy.
In line with circular thinking and to conserve resources, the
company offers reconditioned batteries as spare parts for all its
electric vehicles. In addition, its Mercedes-Benz Energy subsidiary
has established a successful business model with large-scale
stationary storage applications. Batteries that are no longer
suitable for vehicle use can enjoy a second life as part of an
energy storage system.
For Mercedes-Benz, sustainability means creating long-term value
for as many people as possible which is why it pursues a
sustainable business strategy. This means sustainability is a
fundamental component of a holistic corporate mindset that embraces
wider ecological, social and economic aspects.
Statements from the opening of the Mercedes-Benz battery
recycling plant in Kuppenheim
“We are systematically deepening our expertise
in the battery value chain. Following the opening of the
Mercedes-Benz eCampus for development of new battery cell
chemistries in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, we are now sustainably
closing the raw materials loop in Kuppenheim. The innovative
technology enables us to recover valuable raw materials from the
battery with the highest possible degree of purity. This turns
today's batteries into tomorrow's sustainable mine for raw
materials. The new battery recycling plant strengthens the role of
the Mercedes-Benz production network with vehicle and drivetrain
plants in Europe.” J�rg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management
of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, responsible for Production, Quality
& Supply Chain Management
“Battery recycling is of great importance to
Baden-Württemberg as a state with such a strong automotive sector.
Closing the loop on the value chain reduces dependencies, increases
resilience in times of crisis and can smooth peaks and troughs in
the availability of raw materials. Mercedes-Benz is a pioneer in
this respect: With the integrated battery recycling plant,
Mercedes-Benz has developed a sustainable approach for dealing with
limited resources and is therefore making a valuable contribution
to a truly circular economy. We are proud that in this federal
state of innovators, we are also at the forefront in this field.”
Thekla Walker MdL, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Energy
Baden-Württemberg
Further information about Mercedes-Benz is available at
www.mercedes-benz.com. Press information and digital services for
journalists and multipliers can be found on our Mercedes-Benz Media
online platform at http://media.mercedes-benz.com. Learn more about
current topics and events related to Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans
on our LinkedIn channel under Mercedes-Benz AG | LinkedIn.
Mercedes‑Benz AG at a glance Mercedes‑Benz AG is part of the
Mercedes‑Benz Group AG with a total of around 166,000 employees
worldwide and is responsible for the global business of
Mercedes‑Benz Cars and Mercedes‑Benz Vans. Ola Källenius is
Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes‑Benz AG. The
company focuses on the development, production and sales of
passenger cars, vans and vehicle-related services. Furthermore, the
company aspires to be the leader in the fields of electric mobility
and vehicle software. The product portfolio comprises the
Mercedes‑Benz brand with Mercedes‑AMG, Mercedes‑Maybach and G‑Class
with their all-electric models as well as products of the smart
brand. Mercedes‑Benz AG is one of the world's largest manufacturers
of luxury passenger cars. In 2023 it sold around two million
passenger cars and 447,800 vans. In its two business segments,
Mercedes‑Benz AG is continually expanding its worldwide production
network with more than 30 production sites on four continents,
while gearing itself to meet the requirements of electric mobility.
At the same time, the company is constructing and extending its
global battery production network on three continents. As
sustainability is the guiding principle of the Mercedes‑Benz
strategy and for the company itself, this means creating lasting
value for all stakeholders: for customers, employees, investors,
business partners and society as a whole. The basis for this is the
sustainable business strategy of the Mercedes‑Benz Group. The
company thus takes responsibility for the economic, ecological and
social effects of its business activities and looks at the entire
value chain.
1 Net carbon-neutral means that carbon emissions that are not
avoided or reduced at Mercedes-Benz are compensated for by
certified compensation offsetting projects. 2 According to current
knowledge 3 Net carbon-neutral means that carbon emissions that are
not avoided or reduced at Mercedes-Benz are compensated for by
certified compensation offsetting projects.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241021402777/en/
Madeleine Herdlitschka, phone: +49 (0) 151 58 628 285,
madeleine.herdlitschka@mercedes-benz.com Birgit Zaiser, phone: +49
(0) 160 86 14 753, birgit.zaiser@mercedes-benz.com Edward Taylor,
phone: +49 (0) 176 30 941 776, edward.taylor@mercedes-benz.com
Andrea Berg, phone +1 917 667 2391,
andrea.a.berg@mercedes-benz.com
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