Lithium-ion battery recycling plants: discharging, wet shredding and hydrometallurgical refining
Primobius GmbH
Mönchengladbach (41069, SMS Campus)New on Amplifa
About Primobius
Primobius GmbH develops and builds industrial plant concepts for lithium-ion battery recycling. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of SMS group, the company combines its own process flow diagrams with the plant engineering and manufacturing expertise of its parent company. The portfolio covers the entire process route: electrical discharging and dismantling of battery packs and modules, patented wet shredding and separation of copper, aluminium, steel and plastics, as well as hydrometallurgical refining of black mass into battery-grade metal compounds such as nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium sulphates. Customers include automotive OEMs, cell manufacturers and recycling companies worldwide; the technology is offered as an individual process step, an integrated complete plant, or a technology licence with know-how transfer. The team is based at the SMS Campus in Mönchengladbach (North Rhine-Westphalia) and supports operators internationally with site planning, commissioning, training and plant upgrades. Pre-investment test work and process simulations validate feedstock and recovery rates before the investment decision.
- Site
- Mönchengladbach
- Processes
- Lithium-ion battery recycling (end-to-end plants), Battery discharging and dismantling/disassembly, Mechanical comminution (wet shredding) and beneficiation, Hydrometallurgical processing/refining (leaching, purification, precipitation, crystallisation), Drying and separation after shredding, Off-gas treatment, Process simulation and lab test work (pre-investment testing), Technology licensing and plant engineering
- Materials
- Lithium, Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese, Copper, Aluminium, Steel, Separator plastic (polyethylene/polypropylene)
- Certificates
- ISO multisite certification (via SMS group), ISO multisite (via SMS group)
- Founded
- 2020
- Industries
- Battery/cell manufacturing, Automotive OEMs, Recycling industry, Consumer electronics, Energy sector, Fertiliser/agriculture
- 01
Battery discharging
- 02
Dismantling / disassembly of packs and modules
- 03
Wet shredding (inert gas atmosphere)
- 04
Drying and beneficiation
- 05
Separation of copper, aluminium, steel, plastic
- 06
Black mass
- 07
Hydrometallurgical leaching and purification
- 08
Precipitation and crystallisation into metal salts
Locations
Mönchengladbach
DEHead office / HQ at the SMS Campus (Ohlerkirchweg 66)
- Engineering and plant construction
- Lab test work and process simulation
Recycling products & material streams
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lithium-ion battery recycling (end-to-end plants)Recycling/plant engineering | – | – | – | – | Li-ion batteries (NMC, LFP, LCO, NCA), Black mass |
| Battery discharging and dismantling/disassemblyRecycling/preparation | – | – | – | – | Battery packs, Battery modules, Cells (cylindrical, prismatic, pouch) |
| Mechanical comminution (wet shredding) and beneficiationRecycling/mechanical | – | – | – | – | Li-ion batteries (NMC, LFP, LCO, NCA), Copper, Aluminium, Steel, Plastics (PE, PP), Black mass |
| Hydrometallurgical processing/refining (leaching, purification, precipitation, crystallisation)Recycling/hydrometallurgy | – | – | – | – | Black mass (contains lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, |
| Drying and separation after shreddingRecycling/mechanical | – | – | – | – | Plastics, Metals (Cu, Al, steel), Black mass |
| Off-gas treatmentRecycling/environment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Process simulation and lab test work (pre-investment testing)Engineering/testing | – | – | – | – | Battery feedstock |
| Technology licensing and plant engineeringEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Commissioning consulting, operator training, maintenance planning, plant upgradesEngineering/service | – | – | – | – | – |
8 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wet shredder (wet shredding system, patented, with inert gas atmosphere) | Primobius | – | – | – | Customer plants worldwide |
| Hydrometallurgical refining plant (leaching, purification, precipitation) | Primobius | – | – | – | Customer plants worldwide |
| Crystallisation unit | Primobius | – | – | – | Customer plants |
| Drying unit (for black mass/leach residue) | Primobius | – | – | – | Customer plants |
| Electrical battery discharging system | Primobius (with specialised partners) | – | – | – | Customer plants |
| Mechanical disassembly systems for battery packs and modules | Primobius (with specialised partners) | – | – | – | Customer plants |
| Off-gas treatment system | Primobius | – | – | – | Customer plants |
| Recycling plant (complete integrated plant concept, modular process packages) | Primobius (SMS group) | – | – | – | Mercedes-Benz Kuppenheim operations (licensed, southern Germany) |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality & certification
In January 2026, Primobius was successfully integrated into the SMS group ISO multisite certification; plant concepts meet stringent environmental and occupational safety standards, including integrated off-gas treatment.
| Evidence | Mönchengladbach |
|---|---|
| ISO multisite (via SMS group) |
History
- 2020
Founding of Primobius GmbH
- 2023
Start of recycling operations by LICULAR (Mercedes-Benz) using Primobius technology; validation at industrial scale at the Kuppenheim site
- 2025
Cooperation with Watercycle Technologies (March) and Metalshub (May); Primobius becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of SMS group in September
- 2026
Successful integration into the SMS group ISO multisite certification (January)