Battery Recycling

Orano to play its part in the circular economy with the Batteries program

One ambition: to become a key player in the ecosystem of Lithium-ion (Li-ion) electric vehicle batteries and their recycling on the European market, with a view to the arrival on the market of gigafactories in France and in Europe.

The batteries contain rare metals, such as cobalt, nickel, lithium and manganese, which it will be of strategic importance to recycle.

As part of the Batteries program, Orano is developing a new complete and low-carbon process for the efficient recovery of materials of interest, to be ready to be industrialized between now and 2026. After totally safe pre-processing of batteries at the end of their lifetime, followed by steps to purify the materials by means of hydrometallurgy, the resulting recycled metals of interest will be able to be used to manufacture new cathode active materials (CAMs) and their precursors (PCAMs), needed for electric batteries.

This program is an integral part of Orano's desire to diversify its activities, while making the most of its know-how in the recycling and processing of materials and its expertise in the chemistry of materials, hydrometallurgy and the industrialization of processes. It aims to contribute to European sovereignty in meeting its own needs for critical materials, and to French reindustrialization.