Recycing: Vianode/Fortum tie-up for EV battery recycling; Nova opens PE mechanical recycling plant in US

Norway’s Vianode, an advanced battery materials company, and Fortum Battery Recycling, a specialist in recycling valuable metals from electric vehicle (EV) batteries, are collaborating on developing an EV battery recycling value chain.

The two companies will work together to secure supplies of high-quality recycled graphite concentrate from Fortum’s hydrometallurgical plant in Harjavalta, Finland; develop and optimise recycled graphite materials for use in Vianode’s commercial-scale anode production and enhance the performance of recycled graphite in advanced battery components

Graphite anode material represents the largest component of lithium-ion batteries by weight, typically around 70 kg/EV. By integrating recycled graphite into its production processes, Vianode aims to accelerate the development of low-carbon, high-performance battery materials.

"Recycling graphite from end-of-life batteries is vital to reduce dependence on virgin raw materials, lower carbon emissions, and build sustainable supply chains. Access to recycled graphite concentrate with potential to scale volumes over time will support Vianode’s ambition to deliver high-quality anode materials with an industry-leading CO2 footprint below 1 kilogram CO2e per kilogram of graphite by 2030,” said Stefan Bergold, Chief Commercial Officer of Vianode.

Vianode recently launched its first high-performance anode material made from recycled battery-grade graphite as part of the company’s strategy of creating the world’s most sustainable anode graphite and enable a truly circular North American and European battery value chain.

Towards 2030, Europe is expected to see a significant increase in battery recycling as the first generation of EVs reaches the end of their life and new EU legislation requires higher recovery rates and the use of recycled materials in new batteries.

In other news, Nova Chemicals Corporation has announced the commissioning of its first polyethylene (PE) film recycling facility located in Connersville, Indiana, US. It says the facility is one of the “largest and most sophisticated” plastic film mechanical recycling facilities in the world. Spanning 450,000 sq ft, it will recycle 145,000 bales of end-of-life plastic film to produce over 100 million lbs. of Syndigo recycled PE (rLLDPE), suitable for food- and non-food grade packaging applications. Full production is expected by early 2026.

Nova commemorated the achievement by hosting an opening event recently, marking the completion of 22 months of planning, construction and scale-up, and the facility’s readiness for mechanically recycling PE film.

CEO Roger Kearns said, “We’re not only a petrochemicals producer but also a recycler of polyethylene. We’re diverting plastic waste from landfills and turning it into new, quality products that help keep our food fresh or safely transport goods and materials to store shelves.”

In July 2023, Nova announced the intention to build the facility and work with Novolex to operate the facility, capitalising on its nearly 20 years of experience in operating plastic film recycling facilities.

In 2024, the facility’s mechanical recycling process received a first-of-its-kind Letter of Non-Objection (LNO) from the US Food and Drug Administration confirming its ability to produce post-consumer rLLDPE that is suitable for food-contact applications.

In April 2025, the facility achieved the Recycled Material Standard certification from Green Blue, which verifies that the Syndigo recycled polyethylene produced at the facility is 100% post-consumer recycled content. Today, three of four lines are in operation, and the facility will be fully operational by the end of 2025.

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