The ReCycle project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research under grant number 03ETE031D, ran from 1 January 2021 to 30 June 2023. The consortium comprised thirteen partners, including Agro Drisa, SiC Recycling, ImpulsTec, Fraunhofer IWS, the Institute for Air and Cooling Technology (Dresden), and Thyssenkrupp Systemengineering GmbH, which coordinated the effort. ULT AG, the reporting partner, led the development of suction and filtration solutions for lithium‑ion battery recycling and supervised the technical work packages 0, 4, 5 and 6. The consortium’s objective was to create a technically and economically viable adsorption‑based capture system for emissions generated during mechanical pre‑processing steps such as shredding, sorting and sieving, and to assess the recoverability of captured substances.
During the initial work package, detailed requirement profiles for the process environments of the mechanical steps were established through checklists. Subsequent measurement campaigns at several partner sites quantified the emission profile of the shredding process, revealing gas concentrations above 5 ppm and particulate matter ranging from 0.2 µm to 40 µm. These data served as the foundation for designing a dedicated suction and filtration unit tailored to the specific emission characteristics of battery recycling. The design concept incorporated an activated‑carbon or chemisorption filter selected in collaboration with Fraunhofer IWS, with the adsorption medium chosen based on the type of pollutant to be captured. The project demonstrated that the capture efficiency of the filter is highly dependent on the distance between the emission source and the suction inlet; a doubling of this distance leads to a quadrupling of required suction power and an exponential increase in energy consumption. This finding guided the layout of the capture system to minimize energy use while maintaining high removal rates.
In parallel, the team developed a concept for separating and recovering solvent components from the electrolyte, including sampling strategies and a preliminary evaluation plan for future implementation. Safety aspects were rigorously addressed: measurements of hazardous emissions and explosion risk were performed, and a template for explosion protection in accordance with § 6 Abs. 9 of the German Hazardous Substances Ordinance was produced for the sieving plant at SiC Recycling. The project also produced a comprehensive safety system design for the mechanical processing stages, covering both toxic dust and carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reproductive toxicants that can arise during battery disassembly.
The technical outcomes of ReCycle provide a blueprint for an integrated, high‑efficiency capture and recovery system that can be scaled to industrial practice. By combining real‑time emission monitoring, proximity‑optimized suction, tailored adsorption media, and robust safety documentation, the consortium has established a pathway to economically viable lithium‑ion battery recycling. The knowledge generated will be disseminated through the partners’ networks, with the aim of commercializing the developed modules and contributing to a circular economy for battery materials.