Ahead of the Tokyo Battery Summit, we spoke with Michel Siemon, the CEO of Primobius, about the realities of scaling battery recycling in Europe, the company’s technology focus, and its expectations for collaboration with the Japanese industry.
Q. Can you briefly introduce yourself?
I have been serving as CEO of Primobius since July 2023. Prior to this role, I led Corporate Development at our parent company, SMS group, where I was responsible for strategic initiatives and investment projects. Before that, I worked as a Manager at the global management consulting firm Kearney, focusing on operations and performance transformation.
Q. What topics will you cover at the Summit?
My presentation will focus on four key areas:
- The current state of the battery recycling market, particularly in Europe
- Key challenges recyclers are facing and practical solutions
- Primobius’ projects and business approach
- Future outlook and innovation in battery recycling
A central theme will be the transition from laboratory concepts to reliable, industrial-scale operations that are economically viable.
Q. Could you tell us about the background and business of Primobius?
- As a subsidiary of SMS group, Primobius benefits from global resources, extensive engineering expertise, and an international network. SMS group provides the industrial backbone, with proven experience in large-scale plant engineering and recycling technologies.
Our end-to-end battery recycling plant portfolio covers all key process steps, from
- safe discharging and dismantling of batteries, through
- innovative, eco-friendly wet shredding and advanced mechanical processing, enabling high-yield recovery of black mass, and
- our patented, low-CO₂ hydrometallurgical refining technology, through to
- the production of battery-grade materials suitable for use in new batteries.
As a technology and plant engineering partner, we design and supply the industrial plants that enable operators to achieve these results, covering the full scope from concept development and engineering to training and lifecycle services.
Our plants enable operators to recover critical battery metals such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt in high purity from a wide range of cell chemistries, designs, and formats, and reintroduce them into battery supply chains. Our goal is to enable scalable and commercially robust recycling infrastructure.
Q. What are the key strengths of your recycling technology?
As battery recycling expands globally, the main challenge is no longer whether hydrometallurgy works in principle. The real questions are:
- How to handle highly heterogeneous black mass compositions (NMC, LCO, LFP, etc.)
- How to consistently achieve high recovery rates and battery-grade product quality
- How to operate reliably and cost-effectively at an industrial scale
In addition, we integrate critical operational factors such as:
- Water management
- Residue treatment and waste minimization
- Energy efficiency
These are not treated as secondary considerations but as core elements of the process design.
Q. How does your approach differ from conventional recycling technologies?
Our competitive advantages include:
- Proven industrial-scale performance
- High process stability and operational reliability
- Scalable plant design
- A fully integrated, end-to-end solution
Rather than focusing only on theoretical recovery rates, we prioritize long-term, stable operation under real market conditions.
Q. Do you collaborate with European automotive OEMs?
We are in close contact with several major European automotive manufacturers. One notable example is our collaboration with Mercedes-Benz Group Mercedes-Benz selected Primobius as its technology partner to build an industrial-scale battery recycling plant in Germany, reflecting its strategic aim to close the material loop and recover valuable raw materials for use in future electric vehicles. The fully integrated plant is currently in commissioning — an important milestone that validates the design under real operating conditions.
Q. Is this your first visit to Japan? What are your expectations for the Japanese market?
Yes, this will be my first visit to Japan. We see Japan as a highly important market due to its:
- Advanced materials expertise
- Strong manufacturing and quality culture
- Well-established industrial ecosystem
We are particularly interested in building connections across the value chain, including recyclers, material suppliers, as well as automotive and battery companies.
Q. Would you consider establishing a recycling facility in Japan in the future?
Yes, absolutely. We are not a recycling company ourselves; rather, we would like to focus on empowering regional recycling operators and battery industry partners to build and scale robust battery recycling infrastructure through our proven plant technologies and deep engineering expertise.In the Japanese market, the following developments drive the need for advanced battery recycling plant solutions to close the loop in battery materials:
- The growth of the electric vehicle market
- Expansion of stationary energy storage systems
- Regulatory and policy developments related to the circular economy and recycling
We are convinced that Japan has strong potential to become a key market for high-quality, reliable battery recycling solutions.
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