ABB to help Northvolt electrify battery recycling

Located in northern Sweden, Revolt Ett is a project to massively reduce the environmental impact of lithium-ion battery production, using recycled materials from used cells. Northvolt and ABB said the facility will eventually process 125,000 tons of end-of-life batteries and battery production waste each year, claimed to be the highest volume in the world. The reprocessed materials will then be used as a manufacturing input in the collocated Northvolt Ett gigafactory, which ABB has been partnered on with Northvolt since 2017.

ABB will now work with Northvolt to further enhance the green credentials of Revolt Ett, delivering switchgears and variable speed drives to the facility, which will match the speed of the processes taking place in the factory, ramping power up and down as required, saving energy, and boosting performance.  According to Northvolt, Revolt Ett will help the company reduce the carbon footprint of its batteries to 10kg CO₂e per kilowatt hour by 2030, compared to a current industry reference of 98kg CO₂e per kilowatt hour. 

"Batteries are a critical technology within the energy transition," said Emma Nehrenheim, chief environmental officer at Northvolt. "But with massive growth in battery demand it is critical that we secure solutions to recycle batteries and ensure reliable, sustainable supply of critical minerals. This new facility Revolt Ett will help us achieve both of these goals as we work towards our mission of building the world's greenest battery."

As increasing numbers of lithium-ion batteries reach end of life, Revolt Ett's battery materials recovery and hydrometallurgical (hydromet) process is set to supply up to 50 per cent of Northvolt Ett's raw material needs for lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese by 2030. By that point, Northvolt aims to have the capacity to manufacture 150 GWh per annum across its operations in Sweden and Germany.

"This is ABB's first order within the strategically important battery recycling segment," said Staffan Södergård, business unit manager, Battery Manufacturing, Process Industries, ABB. "In conjunction with a trusted partner in Northvolt, this project offers us the opportunity to help our customers avoid carbon emissions, reuse material and protect critical supply chains. We look forward to its progress."