An Australian company using new technology to greatly improve the processing of 
electric vehicle battery materials has acquired a well-established refinery 
plant in Hagen, Germany.
 
Pure Battery Technologies (PBT), headquartered in the Australian city of 
Brisbane, will use the acquisition of the processing plant at Königswarter & 
Ebell (K&E) from TIB Chemicals AG, to produce commercial quantities of its 
high-quality, environmentally superior nickel and cobalt materials and sell 
directly to European manufacturers.
 
PBT is collaborating with one of the world's largest nickel recyclers, German 
CRONIMET Group on its expansion into the European EV market. Together they are 
looking to create solutions for the emerging EV battery supply chain.
 
PBT's cutting-edge proprietary technology known as Selective Acid Leaching 
(SAL) is proven to greatly reduce the environmental footprint of producing 
battery ready materials.  
 
Chairman Stephen Wilmot said the central location of the Hagen refinery would 
make it easier for the company to develop strong business relationships in 
Europe, which has some of the world-leaders in renewable energy.
 
"Europe is very advanced in the renewable energy game, so it makes sense that 
we have a presence there. Our technology will help drive the industry towards 
full carbon neutrality."
 
PBT's CEO, Bjorn Zikarsky said the added benefit of PBT's approach is the 
ability to combine their SAL process with their Reductive Selective Acid Cobalt 
Leaching (RASCL) process which provides a recycling solution for LIB cathode 
material and potentially other nickel and cobalt containing industrial waste.
 
"EV manufacturers are facing the challenge of how to truly make their vehicles 
environmentally friendly. Not only are current processes for making new 
batteries hard on the environment due to CO2 emissions, you must also have a 
solution for the battery at its end-of-life," said Mr Zikarsky.
 
"The EV and storage battery market needs a closed loop approach to solve these 
problems; an approach which manages the entire life-cycle of the battery in a 
profitable way."

"That's why our technology will be a game-changer in the industry. We are able 
to reduce the environmental load on new battery production and provide our 
proprietary recycling solution for batteries which prevents them going to 
landfill," Mr Zikarsky said.
 
PBT's groundbreaking technology was developed by the University of Queensland 
(UQ) in Australia which is an award-winning university in the fields of mining 
and metallurgy.

SOURCE: Pure Battery Technologies