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Services

One-stop-shop for logistics-, reuse- and recycling services

Collection
Reuse assessment
Discharging
Dismantling
Crushing & sorting
Damaged and burned batteries

Hydrovolt offers a comprehensive service offering to Nordic car importers and industrial companies in need of recycling solutions. Our sustainable recycling process extracts raw materials from waste batteries. This ensures a circular solution as secondary raw materials are reintroduced into the manufacturing of new batteries.

Collection

We have logistics solutions from collection points across the entire country, and collect batteries from electrical vehicles and industrial applications.

These batteries are usually end-of-life, industrial batteries, recalls or R&D, in which need to be recycled and transported safely to an approved treatment facility nearby.

We have reusable packaging for rent, specifically designed for transporting EV batteries and correctly labeled according to ADR regulations.

We offer a digital portal for call-off of batteries, in which is developed based on input from the industry. Here you can find an overview of your order, progress and chat function with our resources on logistics and battery expertise readily accessible to provide guidance on registration, packaging, and safe transportation.

Packs, modules
Re-use assessment
Re-use assessment
We offer assessment for reuse upon request from the importer for specific brands/models on both pack and module level. Reuse of batteries requires high competence and strong risk awareness on the part of the recipient/user.
Packs, modules & cells
Discharging
Battery energy storage system (BESS)
The residual energy from the batteries do not go to waste, but is stored in a energy storage system located outside our production hall to use for our own energy consumption or to support the power grid. At full production, the 1 MWh battery bank is close to powering the discharge and dismantling facility. This ensures a fully circular solution.
Packs, modules & cells

After diagnosis and preparation, the batteries are discharged to remove the residual energy. We discharge batteries at pack level, but can also discharge at module and cell level. Our discharge process takes place in two stages to ensure that the battery does not have any energy left and is safe to handle for the next steps in the process.

The last step of our discharge process includes deep discharge. This is performed using resistors, to ensure that the battery is at O.O voltage as the batteries may have a small voltage increase upon disconnection from the battery electric load unit due to the recovery effect. This step is therefore a must follow as we set safety first.

Dismantling
Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV)
The production line for discharge and dismantling is semi-automated. Three autonomous AGVs handle the heavy lifting when battery packs weighing above 300 kilos need to be moved between the different working stations. This helps ensure the safety of our operators and working environment.
Packs, modules & cells

After the discharge step, the battery pack is considered safe to dismantle and transported with the AGV to the dismantling stations. Dismantling is performed manually using power assisted tools, and all components such as cable harnesses, frames, plastics, fasteners are also removed and collected in separated containers for recycling. Battery modules are now clean and ready to be transported for crushing and sorting.

When new battery types arrive at Hydrovolt, we aim to understand them as thoroughly as possible, both in terms of their physical and chemical properties. This is to ensure a safe and efficient recycling process.

That's why we have established a test center to ensure the most efficient methodology for how the battery pack should be discharged and dismantled.

In addition, we dismantle battery cells in a glove box, followed by chemical analyses to gain a better understanding of the materials contained in the cell. This information is used to optimize the crushing and sorting process.

Crushing & sorting
Black mass is our most valuable product
Black mass is a powder recovered from the active battery components containing materials like lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, and graphite. We produce a low-carbon black mass of premium quality confirmed by the markedet - and with 75 percent lower footprint compared to mining and refining of primary materials. To transform our black mass into battery-grade materials, a hydrometallurgical treatment process is required, to ensure the materials can be used for producing new batteries with the highest possible recycled content and lowest environmental footprint.
High quality outputs are a key focus for us
Quality control of both input and output fractions is a vital part of our daily operations. Our current quality control is conducted on the black mass produced, and a more comprehensive quality testing routine is also increasingly performed on other output fractions. This is to ensure full control of fractions produced and to ensure we deliver products of the highest quality to our customers.

From the infeed lock, battery modules are fed into the first crusher and the material is further processed in the second crusher. Both crushers are constantly flushed with inert nitrogen gas during operation to avoid risk of fire. From the crushing stage, the crushed battery material is transported to the drying stage to separate solid materials from liquids.

The solid fraction is sorted by various mechanisms and at the end of the sorting stage, a number of material fractions can be collected in big bags. Our main product is black mass, but we recover and produce more than 10 fractions at this facility.

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different battery types handled

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total recycling rate

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material recovery rate

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fractions

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battery energy storage for residual energy from collected batteries

Burnt and damaged batteries
Yellow batteries
“Yellow” batteries refer to batteries with minor damages. These batteries are discharged at our facility, using specially adapted equipment to prevent heat generation and fire.
Red batteries
“Red” batteries are processed dependent on whether it is possible to discharge the battery. "Red" batteries refer to critically damaged batteries with collision damage or insulation faults. “Red” batteries are discharged at our faiclity, using specially adapted equipment to prevent heat generation and fire.
Non-dischargeable red batteries
“Non-dischargeable red” batteries refer to batteries that are so severely damaged that they cannot be electrically discharged. This will usually be batteries that have been exposed to fire and are therefore fully or partially burned out, or have been deformed in such a way that contact with the terminals cannot be established. We can handle such batteries together with partner with specialized competence.

If an electric vehicle is damaged, the battery may also be damaged. When handling all high-energy batteries, there is a risk of fire and exposure to electric current. For damaged batteries, this risk is higher, and it is therefore important to have effective, safe, and environmentally sound handling solutions. The degree of damage affects the method and cost of handling.

First Life Cycle Analysis carried out from actual industrial numbers

Carbon footprint of extracting critical battery materials by conventional mining vs. producing critical battery materials by recycling

A life cycle assessment has been carried out to calculate the carbon footprint of our operations. Using a cradle-to-gate approach, where the cradle is defined at the beginning of the collection process and the gate defined after the C&S process, before the black mass is sold to offtakers.

The result concludes on a very low carbon footprint of less than 0,2 kg CO2 per kg black mass, proving it is possible to develop greener batteries through recycling and the use of secondary raw materials in new batteries.

With lower environmental footprint, recycling is a more sustainable alternative to conventional mining. The assessment shows that we have a 75% lower carbon footprint compared to extracting materials by conventional mining.