Mercedes will be able to recycle almost all the valuable materials in old batteries!

Mercedes-Benz made history by opening Europe's first integrated battery recycling plant in Kuppenheim, Germany.

This facility marks a significant advance in the production of sustainable electric vehicles.

The state-of-the-art facility uses a mechanical-hydrometallurgical process, achieving a remarkable recovery rate of 96 percent of valuable materials. The facility is designed to process 2500 tons of batteries per year, producing enough recycled material to produce modules for more than 50 new electric vehicles.

"The innovative technology allows us to recover valuable raw materials from the battery with the highest degree of purity," said Jorg Burzer, board member responsible for production at the Mercedes-Benz Group.

The revolutionary process at the plant begins with the mechanical separation of the battery components, followed by the so-called hydrometallurgical processing – black masses – active materials containing valuable metals such as cobalt, nickel and lithium.

These materials are then refined to battery quality for use in new Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles. The Mercedes-Benz battery recycling plant in Kuppenheim uses an energy-efficient hydrometallurgical process that operates at up to 80 degrees Celsius to reduce energy consumption and material waste.

The plant, which runs on 100 percent green electricity, is net carbon neutral. A 350-kilowatt photovoltaic system is located on the 6800-square-foot roof. /Telegraph/