Viridis Recycling, a spin-off of Germany’s Fraunhofer IWKS, has secured regulatory approval under the Federal Immission Control Act for its lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Hanau, clearing an important hurdle for continued pilot operations and future industrial expansion.
The company is developing its proprietary Hydropulse technology, which uses water-generated shock waves to separate battery cells. The process is designed to provide gentler mechanical treatment and reduce cross-contamination between recovered material streams compared with conventional crushing and thermal processing.
Hydropulse Targets Multiple Battery Chemistries
Viridis says Hydropulse can process both production scrap and spent batteries based on NMC, NCA and LFP chemistries. After batteries are discharged and dismantled, the cells undergo aqueous shock-wave treatment. Subsequent washing, centrifugation and sieving separate the resulting materials into individual streams.
The process is designed to recover materials containing lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite, while reducing reliance on energy-intensive smelting and extensive chemical processing. Viridis estimates that the technology could potentially deliver energy savings of up to 90% and reduce carbon emissions by around 50%. However, those figures still need to be demonstrated under sustained commercial conditions and across different battery feedstocks.
Hanau Pilot Moves Toward Industrial Scale
The Hanau facility currently operates at pilot scale. Viridis is also progressing certification as a specialist waste-management operator, which is essential for commercial battery recycling. Regulatory approval for the technology alone does not provide permission to handle, transport and process hazardous battery waste at commercial scale. The additional certification will therefore be an important step toward wider deployment.
A second pilot line is being built in the Stuttgart region, with commissioning planned for the first quarter of 2027. Its location close to Germany’s automotive manufacturing base could provide the company with easier access to both battery production scrap and end-of-life electric-vehicle batteries.
Battery Recycling Technology Faces Commercial Test
Viridis has not yet disclosed commercial annual processing capacity, total capital requirements or binding customer contracts. The German approval nevertheless removes a significant regulatory obstacle for the Hydropulse technology. The next stage will be proving that the process can operate reliably at higher throughput while maintaining safe battery handling, consistent recovery rates and sufficient product purity.
Viridis will also need to demonstrate that operating costs are competitive with established mechanical, pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical battery-recycling technologies. If those conditions can be met, Hydropulse could provide an alternative low-energy route for recovering critical battery materials as Germany and the wider European battery industry expand recycling capacity and seek to reduce dependence on primary raw-material supply.
