Perth-based lithium battery recycler Renewable Metals has taken out the first ‘Supercharge Australia Innovation Challenge Award’ for its innovative approach to recycling lithium batteries.
Established in 2022, Renewable Metals has taken an alkali-based approach to recycling lithium batteries in an industry where acid-based approaches are the norm. The company says its approach recovers nearly all the lithium in the battery and uses 65% less emissions than mining it. Their approach also saves 20-30% of the costs of standard recycling, along with extracting other valuable minerals such as cobalt, graphite, nickel and copper.
Luan Atkinson, CEO of Renewable Metals, says winning the Supercharge Innovation Challenge award has had an amazing impact on the company.
It’s created great momentum for our current capital raise.
Luan Atkinson
Renewable Metals is now looking to scale-up its recycling process as well as undertaking a feasibility study for another plant in NSW. The study will be partly funded by the NSW Critical Minerals & High-Tech Metals Activation Fund.
New Energy Nexus CEO and Managing Director of the California Clean Energy Fund Danny Kennedy considers the technology used by Renewable metals to be world leading.
I’ve seen billion-dollar battery recycling startups in the United States emerging in the last few years and none have technology as exciting as this.
Danny Kennedy
Renewable Metals topped 11 other finalists to win the award. The finalists came from all across Australia, and are working across different aspects of the lithium battery industry.
Next-gen battery producer Sicona came second, while Roev – who convert fleet vehicles from petrol to electric – came third.
The awards were judged by Katerina Kimmorley, the Head of Commercial Investments at Boundless; Megan Fisher, the CEO of EnergyLab; Danny Kennedy; and Dr Adam Best, a Principal Research Scientist at the CSIRO.
Supercharge Australia is a collaboration between Australia’s largest climate tech startup Energylab and global clean energy startup New Energy Nexus.
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