ReCAM Project Secures £3 Million to Revolutionise UK Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling
ReCAM battery recycling project
The UK’s drive to build a more sustainable and self-sufficient battery supply chain has received a major boost after the ReCAM consortium secured more than £3 million in government-backed funding to develop an advanced lithium-ion battery recycling technology.
The project, which brings together the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), Watercycle Technologies, Recyclus Group and AI materials specialist Polaron, aims to create a domestic solution for processing waste from electric vehicle batteries and recovering valuable critical minerals for reuse in new batteries. ReCAM battery recycling project
The funding has been awarded through the Battery Innovation Programme, delivered by Innovate UK with support from the UK Department for Business and Trade. The programme forms part of the government’s broader £452 million strategy to strengthen Britain’s battery manufacturing ecosystem and accelerate the transition to net zero transportation.
At the heart of the ReCAM initiative is the challenge of handling “black mass,” the powder-like material generated during the disposal and recycling of lithium-ion batteries. Black mass contains valuable materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese — all of which are critical for electric vehicle battery production. Despite the strategic importance of these resources, the UK currently lacks a commercially viable domestic process to refine black mass at scale. As a result, most of the material is exported overseas for processing, leading to increased transport emissions, economic losses and dependence on foreign supply chains. ReCAM battery recycling project
Industry experts believe this issue will become increasingly urgent as electric vehicle adoption accelerates.
According to consortium partners and industry reports, the UK could generate as much as 94,000 tonnes of black mass annually by 2040 as more EV batteries reach the end of their operational life. Without local refining infrastructure, Britain risks losing access to strategically important battery materials at a time when global competition for critical minerals is intensifying. ReCAM battery recycling project
The ReCAM project seeks to solve this problem through a patented “short-loop” refining process designed to convert black mass directly into cathode active material (CAM), a key component used in new lithium-ion batteries. Unlike conventional recycling systems that separate battery waste into individual metals through multiple chemical stages before remanufacturing them into battery materials, ReCAM aims to achieve this conversion in a single streamlined process. Consortium members say the approach could significantly reduce costs, energy use and waste generation while improving the economic viability of battery recycling in the UK. ReCAM battery recycling project
The technology is also being developed as a modular and scalable system capable of operating directly at recycling facilities. According to the consortium, the pilot system will process around 250 kilograms of material per hour on-site, reducing the need to transport hazardous battery waste over long distances. Watercycle Technologies, which led the funding application, said its hydrometallurgical recycling process is designed to maximise recovery rates while operating as a zero-waste solution. ReCAM battery recycling project
Dr Ahmed Abdelkarim, co-founder of Watercycle Technologies, described the initiative as an important step toward creating a resilient domestic battery ecosystem. He said establishing a viable UK-based route for refining battery waste into reusable materials would unlock significant economic value while reducing emissions associated with exports and strengthening national supply chain resilience.
Recyclus Group, one of the UK’s first industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recyclers, will play a central role in testing and deploying the technology. Its Wolverhampton recycling facility will host the pilot-scale ReCAM system, allowing researchers and engineers to evaluate the process under industrial operating conditions. The company has received approximately £400,000 in grant funding as part of the consortium award. ReCAM battery recycling project
Robin Brundle, executive chairman of Recyclus and Technology Minerals, said the project represented a “British-centric programme built around UK resilience.” He stressed that keeping battery waste processing within the UK would allow more of the value embedded in spent batteries to remain inside the domestic economy while supporting the growth of a circular battery supply chain.
Artificial intelligence is also expected to play a major role in the project’s development.
Polaron, a materials technology company spun out of Imperial College London, will use its AI-driven materials platform to analyse and optimise the recycled cathode materials produced by ReCAM. The company’s tools are designed to study how recycling process conditions affect battery microstructure and electrochemical performance, helping determine whether recycled materials can meet the standards required for battery-grade use. ReCAM battery recycling project
Dr Isaac Squires, CEO and co-founder of Polaron, said recycled battery materials must prove they can perform reliably if they are to be reused at scale in electric vehicle manufacturing. He explained that Polaron’s role would be to accelerate the transition from recycled material to battery-ready electrodes and cells by using AI to understand and optimise performance characteristics. ReCAM battery recycling project
The ReCAM initiative also reflects a broader international shift toward “circular economy” principles in battery manufacturing.
Governments and manufacturers worldwide are increasingly recognising that recycling and reusing battery materials will be essential for reducing dependence on newly mined resources, cutting emissions and securing long-term access to critical minerals. Analysts warn that future demand for lithium, cobalt and nickel could outpace global mining capacity unless recycling rates improve substantially.
In the UK, several major research initiatives are already focused on battery recycling and reuse technologies. One of the largest is the ReLiB project, a £34 million research programme led by the University of Birmingham and supported by the Faraday Institution. ReLiB is exploring advanced recycling techniques, direct cathode recovery methods and sustainable battery manufacturing systems aimed at supporting the UK’s electric vehicle transition. ReCAM battery recycling project
Experts believe projects such as ReCAM could eventually help establish a domestic closed-loop battery manufacturing industry in Britain, where materials recovered from old EV batteries are directly reused in the production of new ones. Such a system could reduce reliance on imported raw materials, lower the environmental footprint of battery manufacturing and create new economic opportunities in the recycling and clean energy sectors. ReCAM battery recycling project
As electric vehicle markets continue to expand globally, the pressure to develop efficient and sustainable battery recycling systems is expected to intensify. The success of ReCAM could therefore position the UK as an important player in the emerging circular battery economy while helping address one of the most significant environmental and industrial challenges associated with the transition to electrified transport. ReCAM battery recycling project
EV Battery Recycling Europe Boosts Circular Economy 5
More…
