Wednesday, June 11, 2025
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We are pleased to announce the signing of an agreement in principle with Lifth-One, an industrial project led by the Portuguese group Lifthium Energy, a recognized expert in lithium refining. This strategic partnership is fully in line with our shared desire to build a strong, circular and sovereign European battery materials industry.
The aim of this strategic partnership is to integrate recycled lithium supplied by Mecaware into Lifth-One's advanced refining processes, with a view to producing 100% European battery-grade lithium. We will collaborate on all phases of industrialization: from laboratory tests to pre-industrial pilots and industrial deployment. The objective is clear: to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of this new circular value chain.
By locally recycling the lithium contained in battery waste, this partnership enables :
- Securing strategic supplies for European industry ;
- Reduced carbon footprint thanks to sustainable processes;
- A direct contribution to the 2030 targets set by the Critical Raw Materials Act.
The Lifth-One project is recognized by the European Commission as a strategic project, reinforcing its key role in the EU's industrial independence.
"By being based in Europe, Lifth-One guarantees that the material remains on the continent - an essential factor for the energy transition and the security of supply chains," emphasizes Benoît Samanos, COO of Mecaware.
"This partnership combines cutting-edge technologies and sustainable recycling, to build a more competitive and innovative European lithium industry," concludes Bernardo Gross, COO of Lifthium Energy.
Download the full press release here
About Mecaware:
Founded in January 2021, Mecaware is an industrial start-up revolutionizing the production of strategic metals from end-of-life batteries and battery manufacturers' scrap. We recover essential metals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, in the form of carbonates or metal hydroxides, meeting battery industry standards.Our innovative, closed-circuit technology uses no impacting inputs, generates no effluents(notably sulfates), and requires little external energy. This process combines economic and ecological performance, illustrating our concept of eco²efficiency. We contribute to the industrial sovereignty of territories and to the energy transition by providing a concrete solution for the circular economy. Our agile model is based on the deployment of compact plants, located close to waste deposits, reducing initial investments and optimizing the supply chain. The commissioning of our first plant is scheduled for the end of 2029, offering a local response to the relocalization of the supply of strategic metals and the development of a low-carbon battery industry. To find out more: https://mecaware.com/
About Lifthium:
Lifthium Energy was founded in 2023 with the aim of becoming a leading player in the international green lithium refining sector, drawing on the long-term entrepreneurial vision of theJosé de Mello Group and the in-depth expertise of his company Bondalti in the chemical industry.Lifthium Energy's mission is to supply high-quality, sustainable lithium hydroxide in order to foster the energy transition and make electric mobility accessible to all. Lifthium plans to launch its first plant by 2027 on the Iberian Peninsula, with a refining capacity of around 28,000 tonnes, to supply lithium hydroxide for over a million vehicles a year.Lifthium is owned by the José de Mello Group (85%) and Bondalti (15%).Lift-One is Lifthium Energy's lithium processing project for this first plant, officially selected by the European Commission as a strategic project in recognition of its key role in achieving the ambitious targets of the Critical Raw Materials Act by 2030.
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