Lithium Australia and LG Energy sign battery recycling deal

LG Energy Solutions logo on wall in corporate office (battery recycling)
Image: LG Energy Solutions

Lithium Australia‘s battery recycling unit has signed a deal with South Korea’s LG Energy Solution to process at least 250 tonnes of its lithium-ion batteries over the next year, Reuters reports.

As per the agreement, LG Energy will deliver the batteries to Envirostream’s facilities in Melbourne, Lithium Australia said, adding that the volumes are nearly a quarter of the collection in fiscal 2022.

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Battery recycling allows for its parts or metals to be reused, which potentially tackles major criticism and obstacles faced by automakers over heavy carbon footprint associated with the mined materials.

Lithium Australia-owned Envirostream recovers around 95% of the materials from an exhausted battery, according to its website, and it has recycled more than 85 tonnes of LG Energy’s batteries since 2018.

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“The company expects a significant increase in processing volumes for FY2023 relative to FY2022 as a result of this agreement,” the battery metals supplier said. For fiscal 2022, Envirostream’s battery collection volumes were about 1.09 thousand tonnes.

The battery recycling agreement is for an initial term ending on August 31 next year, and will continue on a rolling six-month basis, the Perth-based company said.

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