Altilium announced a groundbreaking partnership with battery materials and technology company Talga Group Ltd, which will see the two companies working together to recover graphite from old EV batteries for reuse in the production of new battery anodes, embracing a circular economy and reducing the UK's reliance on imported raw materials. The collaboration marks a significant step towards securing a sustainable domestic source of graphite for the UK EV battery industry, and underscores both companies' commitment to supplying automotive OEMs and battery manufacturers with low carbon battery materials. Graphite is the largest single material in lithium-ion batteries, comprising up to 50% of a battery by volume.

Altilium's proprietary recycling process can recover over 99% of the graphite from end-of-life EV batteries, allowing these valuable resources to be returned to the supply chain, while Talga's green anode production technology results in dramatically lower CO2 emissions from the making of EVs. Under the agreement, the two companies will focus on optimising the recovery of graphite from battery waste to produce a battery-grade product for use in new anodes. Until recently recycling of graphite was largely overlooked, with recyclers focused on reclaiming cathode metals from battery scrap.

However, with a growing shortfall in graphite supply expected over the next decade and China (which refines over 90% of world's graphite) recently announcing controls on exports, a shift towards self-sufficiency will be critical for the UK in order to meet the growing needs of new green industries.