Sunlight Group: Completion of the ReLiFe® Project A landmark achievement in lithium battery recycling with a model unit designed holistically by Sunlight’s R&D inhouse Team
Sunlight Group, a member of the Olympia Group and a leading technology company offering integrated and innovative energy storage solutions, announces the successful completion of the three-year European ReLiFe project. This flagship project serves as a testament to Sunlight’s internal engineering excellence. Architected, developed, and commissioned exclusively by Sunlight’s in-house team, the initiative was co-funded by EIT RawMaterials—a European initiative driving innovation and competitiveness in the raw materials sector—with the strategic support of the European Union.
As part of the project, a model pilot lithium battery recycling unit with a capacity of 500 tons per year was delivered to the Sunlight Group’s facilities in Xanthi. This unit, featuring equipment designed holistically and built from the ground up by Sunlight’s Research and Development team, stands as a showcase of the company’s world-class engineering prowess and establishes the definitive foundation for comprehensive recycling services. It has the capacity to process all types of lithium-ion battery chemistry (such as LFP, NMC, LTO, etc.), confirming Sunlight’s position as a provider of solutions for the entire spectrum of battery recycling.
The project is a decisive step towards addressing one of the most pressing energy needs worldwide: the development of an effective way to recycle lithium-ion batteries. Focused on developing advanced lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery recycling technologies, ReLiFe®’s results demonstrate that critical raw materials can be recovered in a sustainable manner. This directly strengthens the European circular economy and reduces dependence on primary mining.
The ReLiFe® project has leveraged this extensive experience, as this operational know-how in circular metal management processes has been the critical basis for the successful design and development of new lithium recycling technologies.
As project leader, Sunlight provided technological and scientific guidance, fully aligned with its corporate purpose of “Power for Good” and its strategic goal of clean and sustainable energy. The successful execution of ReLiFe® underscores Sunlight’s deep technical capabilities and specialized expertise in complex engineering. The findings confirm that new technologies can enhance Europe’s self-sufficiency in critical materials such as lithium, phosphorus, and graphite.
In collaboration with the project partners, the Recycling team of Sunlight’s Research and Development Department has successfully completed a series of tests on a laboratory, semi-pilot, and pilot scales. The optimal conditions developed ensure the recovery of all critical raw materials from LFP batteries (lithium, graphite, and phosphorus), with 95% efficiency and purity levels suitable for reuse in new batteries (battery grade).
It is noted that Sunlight Group has accumulated expertise in the management and recovery of metals from lead-acid batteries through the operation of its recycling plant in Komotini. This plant is one of the largest producers of secondary lead in Europe and is certified by the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).
As Dr. Nikos Tsiouvaras, Chief Technology Officer at Sunlight, notes, “Recycling is Europe’s new ‘mine’. It is the most responsible way to secure critical raw materials and strengthen our industrial autonomy. We are transitioning to practices that significantly reduce our dependence on primary extraction and make the most of the resources we already have, laying the foundations for a truly sustainable and resilient energy chain.”
The completion of the project creates the conditions for the development of larger-scale structures. “The success of ReLiFe® confirms the power of European cooperation. The Project Coordinator and Recycling Expert at Sunlight, Dr. Panagiotis Xanthopoulos, stated, “ReLiFe allowed us, through joint action, to deliver a model pilot plant and prove that LFP battery recycling is technologically feasible and economically viable. The successful completion of the project and the delivery of the pilot line in just three years is due to the excellent cooperation of the partners”. The results of ReLiFe® will form the basis for the next step: the Techno-economic Due Diligence Study for the development of an industrial lithium battery recycling plant.
The ReLiFe® project was 55% co-funded by EIT RawMaterials with the support of the European Union, supplemented by own funds, and implemented in collaboration with: Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (TUBAF), Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), MONOLITHOS Catalysts & Recycling, Küttner GmbH & Co. KG, Greenhouse Investment Group, and SE&C Research and Innovation.
