NEWS & TECHNOLOGY BATTERIES
Three team for EV battery recycling cluster in Finland
FBy Nick Flaherty ortum, BASF, and Nornickel have signed a letter of intent
to plan a battery recycling cluster in Harjavalta, Finland,
serving the electric vehicle market. This would enable a
“closed loop” cluster of companies to re-use the critical metals
in used batteries.
Using metals from recycled batteries significantly reduces
the environmental impact of producing of electric vehicles,
and there are additional benefits from using electricity from
renewable sources in Finland for the
recycling process itself.
“By recycling valuable metals in
lithium-ion batteries we reduce the
environmental impact of electric car
batteries by complementing the supply
of cobalt, nickel and other critical
metals from primary sources. Through
our previous acquisition of a Finnish
growth company Crisolteq, an expert
in low CO2 hydrometallurgical processing,
we are very proud that Fortum is now able to increase
the recovery rate of valuable materials in lithium-ion batteries
from half to over 80 per cent,” said Tero Holländer, Head of
Business Development, Fortum Recycling and Waste.
BASF intends to use recycled materials from the processes
developed by its partners to supply its planned battery materials
precursor plant in Harjavalta, Finland.
“The combination of battery materials production and
recycling enables the circular economy by closing the loop,”
said Tim Ingle, Vice President, Precious Metals Refining,
Chemicals & Battery Recycling at BASF. “To drive electrification,
we are focused on bringing solutions for high energy density
cathode active materials and high efficiency lithium extraction
for battery recycling.”
The aim is to create a cluster of expertise
in materials and technologies.
“A modern recycling unit next to
Nornickel Harjavalta would further
strengthen its position as one of the
most sustainable nickel refineries
in the world. This setup is ideal for
sustainable processing of two of the
main metals used in Li-ion batteries.
Development of recycling solutions
will not only support Nornickel’s strategy of further lowering its
CO2 footprint and improving sustainability, but it is also essential
to enable the industry to meet the growing demand of critical
metals in the electric vehicle sector,” says Joni Hautojärvi, Managing
Director, Nornickel Harjavalta.
Toyota develops fuel cell truck with Hino
By Christoph Hammerschmidt
Toyota Motor Corp. is now developing a fuel cell truck: In
cooperation with Hino Motors, the commercial vehicle
specialist within the Toyota Group, a 25-tonne truck is being
built that will cover around 600 kilometres without emitting
CO2 or pollutants. The technical basis is provided by the drive
system from the Toyota Mirai sedan.
Electrification is particularly important in heavy-duty traffic:
in Japan alone, heavy trucks are responsible for around 60
percent of the CO2 emissions of commercial vehicles; in other
countries the situation is not much different. The challenge is to
reconcile economy, sustainability
and practical benefits.
The trucks, which are often
used over long distances,
must offer sufficient range
and load capacity, while at
the same time not being able
to make long refuelling stops.
For this reason, Toyota and
Hino are relying on the fuel
cell drive and the high energy
density of hydrogen.
The chassis of the fuel cell
truck based on the Hino Profia
was adapted for this type of drive. Extensive weight savings
enable a high loading capacity. Thanks to two fuel cell stacks,
which have already been developed for the next generation of
the Toyota Mirai, the range is expected to be 600 kilometers.
In driving mode, hydrogen is converted into electrical energy
that drives an electric motor. The only emission produced is
water vapor. When the tank is empty, the hydrogen containers
can be refilled within a few minutes. Market observers see this
capability as a major advantage over battery vehicles, which
usually take several hours to recharge. The challenge with fuel
cell technology, on the other hand, is to make the high-pressure
tanks stable and leak-proof. A tank with a pressure of Mega-
Pascal (MPa) will be built for the fuel cell truck.
Toyota and Hino are thus taking the next step: Both companies
have been researching fuel cell technology for more than
15 years and see hydrogen as
an important energy source
of the future. Already in 2003
Toyota and Hino have jointly
developed and tested a fuel
cell bus. In the future, both
companies will further deepen
their partnership and accelerate
their efforts to realize a
hydrogen society.
Fuel cell technology and
its introduction in freight
transport will make an important
contribution to the
companies’ ambitious sustainability goals: As part of the Toyota
Environmental Challenge 2050, the Japanese mobility company
intends to significantly reduce its CO2 emissions. For example,
fleet emissions are to be reduced by 90 percent by 2050 compared
to 2010. Emissions in production will also be minimized.
14 News April 2020 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com
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