Project data

Project name:	Circulating raw materials from lithium iron phosphate cathode material for sustainable resource utilisation in battery production
Running time:	08/2024 - 07/2025
Project organiser:
Project management:	Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Rutz
Employee:
Project partners:	Analytik Jena GmbH+Co. KG, IBU-tec advanced materials AG, K-UTEC AG Salt Technologies
Funding amount:
Third-party donors:

Project coordination:

Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences/ Thuringian Innovation Centre for Recyclable Materials

Contact person:

Melanie Ahnert M. Sc.

Summary of the project

The ZirKat project aims to recover raw materials from lithium iron phosphate cathode material. The intention is to reuse the recovered recyclates directly for the production of new batteries. A combination of mechanical, chemical and thermal process stages is used to condition the recyclates. The project thus contributes to the implementation of the amended EU Battery Regulation.

The mechanical processes and project coordination are carried out by Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences with its Thuringian Innovation Centre for Recyclable Materials. The company K-UTEC from Sondershausen is responsible for the chemical work packages, while the thermal aspects are being handled by IBU-tec from Weimar. The removal of impurities and the further conditioning of the recycled material create the conditions for the recycling of battery raw materials. The high quality requirements for the raw materials used are monitored by Analytik Jena as part of this project. The project was initiated by the ThüLiBaRec (Thuringian Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling) consortium, consisting of the aforementioned companies and institutions as well as other partners such as EAS Batteries GmbH. The consortium with partners from industry and science forms a competence cluster for Thuringia.

The project is funded by the Thüringen Verbund Dynamik research and development project and co-financed by the European Union as part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF programme 2021-2027).