BATTERIES INCLUDED

Collision Repair magazine recently organized a tour of Lithion Technologies’ first commercial critical minerals extraction facility in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville near Montreal, Quebec. The event was attended by 20 industry stakeholders including OEMs, collision centre personnel and automotive recycling industry representatives.

The day began with a safety briefing before attendees received information on battery recycling procedures and a history of Lithion Technologies by Marie-Line Paquet, external communications manager and Eva Carissimi, vice president and general manager. Following the brief, the group entered the plant and were greeted with another safety talk to emphasize the critical importance of safe practices around high-voltage technologies and extraction equipment.

Martin Archambault, operations director for Lithion Saint-Bruno showed the tour group where batteries are stored. Batteries and components are housed in individual solid compartments, and a 12-foot sprinkler system has been specially installed in the shelving unit to prevent any potential fires from spreading. Damaged batteries are kept in a seperate, secure area for maximum safety. The process of transforming used EV batteries into black mass, metal pellets and plastic flakes is quite complex. Lithion has designed a completely closed-circuit web shredding solution that allows the treatment of charged batteries, preventing thermal runaway reactions. The Solution adapts to all types of battery chemistry and recovers over 98 percent of the minerals contained in batteries and creates a black mass ready for hydrometallurgy processing.

Batteries are shredded to create a mixture of black mass, plastic flakes and metal pallets. Black mass is filtered from the mix, then pellets and flakes are efficiently separated and will also be recycled by dedicated partners. Black mass will ultimately be processed in Lithion’s second phase of development, in its future hydrometallurgy plant, where batterygrade lithium carbonate, nickel sulphate and cobalt sulphate will be produced. All of these products would then be reintroduced into the battery value chain.

After the tour, attendees headed back to a boardroom for a Q&A session, answered by Nick Poupart, business development manager, followed by a lunch, sponsored by Call2Recycle.

The group was enthralled with Lithion’s facilities and procedures. Many put forward questions about EV batteries in collision centres, given the sensitivity of these systems. “It was fantastic to witness firsthand the progress being made in handling and recycling electric vehicle batteries—this has been a big concern as vehicle electrification continues,” commented Don Morton, owner of CARSTAR Don-Mor, which has OEM certifications with Tesla and VinFast. “We’re happy that recyclers are working with the collision repair industry and excited that we have somewhere to send our end-of-life or damaged batteries.”

“Meeting our clients and partners is essential for showcasing our recycling solutions and the technology that drives them,” said Poupart. “These conversations and exchanges are super valuable, helping us fine-tune our offerings and refine our knowledge of the market’s changing needs. We are in a new industry and we will build it together.”

For more information on Lithion Technologies, visit www.lithiontechnologies.com.