RENOVATE achieves a new milestone: Validating HVF across multiple battery chemistries. 

The RENOVATE consortium has completed its milestone on Validation of HVF process for different chemistries, confirming that High Voltage Fragmentation (HVF) is a versatile and chemistry‑neutral technology for the recycling and demanufacturing of lithium‑ion batteries. This milestone confirms that HVF can efficiently delaminate and recover valuable materials from both Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) and Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) cells, demonstrating its potential as an innovative, clean and broadly applicable technology for the EU’s emerging circular battery value chain.

This milestone, led by the POLIMI partners, aimed to verify that HVF can be applied effectively across different cell chemistries. Because HVF relies on electrical discharge and shock‑wave propagation at material interfaces, rather than chemical reactions, the process performs consistently regardless of cathode composition. Under controlled conditions, both LFP and NMC cell stacks were subjected to HVF treatment to assess delamination performance. In each case, the process successfully:

  • Liberated the active material (“black mass”)
  • Cleanly separated copper and aluminium current collectors
  • Released polymeric separators without thermal or chemical degradation

Visual sample materials liberated from the HVF reactor. Note: Not in-situ state (i.e., materials are initially sieved and filtered to obtain the individual battery material for the post-analysis)

POLIMI’s analyses show that the materials recovered through HVF are of high quality. The black mass contained the expected mixture of graphite and cathode material (LFP or NMC), with very low levels of impurities. Because HVF works at room temperature in water, the valuable metals remain intact and ready for efficient recovery.

The copper and aluminium foils were also recovered in excellent condition. Their structure and purity were preserved, meaning they can go straight into standard metal recycling. The plastic separators came out as intact films, with their chemical structure unchanged, making them suitable for polymer recycling or other secondary uses.

The process itself proved fast and efficient, fully separating the battery components within a short treatment time. Increasing the number of electrical pulses improved material liberation, and the validated settings achieved black mass yields of around 82–85%. Only very small traces of metal or binder remained, showing that HVF avoids the contamination issues often seen in traditional mechanical or thermal recycling.

Overall, this milestone confirms that HVF works equally well for both LFP and NMC batteries, preserves the value of recovered materials and offers a clean, reliable and energy‑efficient alternative to conventional recycling methods. It represents a strong step forward for sustainable and circular battery recycling in Europe.