Veolia inaugurates a 7,000-tonne black mass recycling plant in the Grand Est region

A capacity of 7,000 tonnes of black mass per year

The site relies on proprietary hydrometallurgy technologies that, according to Veolia, make it possible to recover more than 90% of the cobalt, nickel and copper contained in the black mass. It processes flows from France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland "to date".

Each year, the facility will be able to recycle nearly 7,000 tonnes of black mass, the equivalent of 20,000 tonnes of batteries. The extracted metals are redistributed to the European automotive, construction and defence markets.

The group mentions, "in the long term, thanks to the support of the authorities", an outlet toward battery manufacturing in Europe. It estimates the market at nearly 700,000 tonnes of batteries to be recycled in Europe within five years, representing more than one billion euros of recoverable metals.

A downstream link dependent on a European framework, according to the group

The Grand Est plant is located downstream in the value chain. Several projects dedicated to battery dismantling, presented as complementary, are being rolled out in the United Kingdom, Belgium and Slovenia.

Veolia considers Europe's support "vital" and calls for the establishment, "without delay", of a European regulatory and economic framework. This framework must in particular support the setting up of facilities capable of reintegrating recycled metals.

Estelle Brachlianoff, Chief Executive Officer, links the project to the Green Up strategic programme, which aims to "make waste a strategic resource". Stéphane Séjourné cited the Batteries Regulation, the Industrial Accelerator Act and the upcoming Circular Economy Act. The Grand Est Region states that it has supported the project "since day one".