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Innovative battery recycling facility set to create jobs in West Midlands

A new battery recycling facility will open in the West Midlands in October, with plans to create 30 new jobs over the next two years.

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The founders of Fenix Battery Recycling are from left to right: Dr Athan Fox, Miles Freeman, Neil Muttock and Damian Lambkin

Fenix Battery Recycling is the first facility in the UK to offer recycling for multiple battery types from its state-of-the-art battery shredding and recycling plant in Willenhall.

The business has already employed two people and expects to employ around 30 people by 2022.

Fenix will be able to recycle everything from mobile phone batteries to the batteries from electric vehicles. Alkaline batteries will be recycled at the Willenhall facility from October and within three months the technology will be in place to recycle lithium ion batteries. Fenix expects to recycle 10,000 tonnes of batteries a year increasing to 20,000.

“The surge in electric vehicles brings a need for effective lithium ion recycling in the UK and we are confident we will be able to offer this by early next year,” explains Damian Lambkin, director of business development for Fenix Battery Recycling.

“While many businesses have had to reduce their workforces due to coronavirus, we are delighted to be able to create new jobs at this challenging time,” added Mr Lambkin.

Fenix will also carry out research into cleaner, greener battery recycling solutions.

The research and development efforts will be led by Fenix’s director of technology Dr Athan Fox, who holds a chemistry PhD from Cambridge University. He said: “We will scale up and commercialise technology to tackle recycling challenges, contributing to the creation of a circular economy.”

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