German stainless giant Cronimet and Chinese precursor maker CNGR to up Europe's largest recycling plant

The German steel maker Cronimet has signed an agreement with Chinese precursor maker CNGR Advanced Material through which CNGR will be a partner of Cronimet's battery recycling unit Revomet. Through the partnership Revomet will open a double line recycling facility in Bitterfeld, 40 km north of Leipzig in Germany.

The pre-processing facility will have an infeed capacity of 28,000 tonnes and will be commisioned in the first half of 2024. The plant is the first industrial step in Cronimet's battery recycling initiative and will be the largest pre-processing plant in Europe.

CNGR which is one of the world's largest manufacturers of NMC and NCA precursor and cathode maker has for a long time evaluated recycling options in Europe. The company is building a precursor plant in Hamina in Finland in a joint venture with Finnish Mineral Group and has announced its intent to set up a battery material base in El Jadida, Morocco in a partnership with African investment fund Al Mada.

Ther partnership of Revomet and CNGR is the second recyling related initiative in Bitterfeld. The lithium startup AGM Lithium is setting up a lithium hydroxide refinery in the same area and has signed an agreement with Fortum to refine lithium recovered at Fortum's hydrometallurgical plant in Harjavalta in Finland.