Recycling of end of life battery packs for domestic raw material supply chains and enhanced circular economy

Project Information

BATRAW

Grant agreement ID: 101058359

DOI

10.3030/101058359

Project closed

EC signature date 22 May 2022

Start date 1 May 2022

End date 30 April 2026

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

€ 12 323 911,32

EU contribution

€ 9 786 739,20

Coordinated by

ACONDICIONAMIENTO TARRASENSE ASSOCIACION
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BATRAW (Recycling of end of life battery packs for domestic raw material supply chains and enhanced circulareconomy)

Reporting period: 2023-11-01 to 2025-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

BATRAW is a strategic project for managing end-of-life (EoL) electric vehicle (EV) batteries. As the EU moves toward a low-carbon, circular economy, demand for electric mobility and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is rising. These are key to decarbonizing transport and reaching climate neutrality by 2050. However, this also increases battery waste and raises concerns about raw material sourcing, environmental impact, and resource security.

The rapid EV deployment creates a need for sustainable EoL battery systems, facing challenges like CRM dependency, safety risks, waste value chain development, and shifting regulations and markets.

BATRAW develops innovative solutions for reuse, repurposing, and recycling of EoL EV and domestic batteries and scraps—generating secondary streams of strategic CRMs and battery raw materials. Funded by Horizon Europe, it brings together industry, research, tech providers, and policymakers.

Key goals include semi-automated, safe dismantling technologies to recover 95% of battery components using robotics and digital tools. It also explores second-life use of EV modules for stationary storage. BATRAW will validate hydrometallurgical and mechanical processes to extract CRMs (Co, Ni, Mn, Li, C-graphite, Al, Cu) with 90–98% selectivity, including innovative separation steps. A pilot system will dismantle 1 ton of LIBs per 8-hour shift and treat 300 kg of black mass daily.

BATRAW will offer technical guidance for eco-design, recyclability, and material recovery. It supports EU regulation compliance through a blockchain-based Battery Passport for traceability and will provide safety protocols for EoL battery handling.

To boost impact, BATRAW includes a strong C&D&E plan with circular business models, innovation workshops, EU platform outreach, policy briefs, and stakeholder engagement.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During this second period of the project, rom Nov 2023 to Apr 2025, BATRAW advanced EoL battery management, recycling, and sustainability. It defined pilot system specs, validated transport regulations, acquired certified ADL containers, and published handling guidelines (D2.4). A semi-automated disassembly line was developed using AI vision, laser cutting, and robotic tools for efficient pack-to-module dismantling. Mobile platforms were integrated for scalability. Pre-treatment improved graphite and cathode separation and scaled safe discharge for domestic batteries. Hydrometallurgical processes were optimized for CRM recovery, with pilot operations starting May 2025. Recycled materials showed improved performance post-purification. Sustainability assessments were updated with pilot data, identifying energy use as a hotspot. A social life cycle assessment was launched, and traceability tools aligned with EU digital passport rules. Market analysis began, and a clustering session with EU projects explored synergies.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Development of a hydro-mechanical process for the treatment of battery cells. The process starts with the water-based comminution of cell and results in the generation of three fractions, black mass, plastics, and metals by a skimming and sieving process. Black mass from batteries treated with the electrohydraulic fragmentation showed good results. In particular the black mass from pouch cells could be recovered with almost no loss and in good quality (less than 4% of the main impurities Al and Cu). Development of technologies to crush battery modules under inert atmosphere (Around 95% electrolyte recovery, 95% of Black mass recovery, Al impurities below 0.5% and Cu < 2.5%). Successfully development, implementation and demonstration of a blockchain based platform for RM, product and supply chain tracking within the scope of the actual version of the EU Battery Regulation (EUBR) as well as the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) in terms of supply chain transparency, digital battery passports (DBP) as well as other types of digital product passports (DBP). The platform enables companies to generate and circulate DBPs and DPPs to share and circulate relevant information along the respective products’ life cycle. Implementation of a disruptive hydrometallurgical process for the pilot plant aiming to bypass the traditional steps of solvent extraction (SX) and crystallization (CX) used to produce individual metal salts. Instead, the purified solution is sent directly to the pCAM production process, reducing significantly both capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) for the hydrometallurgy plant.

Project logo