Back to Battery

What Back to Battery does

Back to Battery B.V. is a Dutch pre-revenue cleantech startup founded in 2023 and headquartered in Delft, the Netherlands. The company has developed a proprietary, patent-pending closed-loop hydrometallurgical refining process that recovers critical raw materials — Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Manganese, and Graphite — from lithium-ion battery black mass. Outputs are characterized as equal in purity and functionality to virgin materials, with the process designed to be zero-waste through internal recycling of water and reactants, and to consume materially less energy than conventional recycling benchmarks that burn materials or generate significant waste.

The company serves business customers across the European battery value chain, including EV manufacturers, battery producers, and industrial recyclers concerned with supply-chain security for critical raw materials, EU regulatory compliance for battery recycling, and geopolitical supply-chain risk. Its go-to-market is B2B enterprise field sales via direct partnerships. The technology was validated at lab scale in 2024 and at pilot plant operations in 2025, with a profitable demonstration line processing black mass from thousands of EVs targeted for 2026/2027 and modular global deployment envisioned by 2029.

Back to Battery is a private, venture- and grant-backed company led by co-founders Dr. Steven Lans (CEO) and Dr. Cyril Mambote (CTO), both PhDs in Extractive Metallurgy from TU Delft. The team of approximately 6-7 includes Finance & Strategy, Innovation, Plant Engineering, and Commercial Director roles. Funding to date consists of UNIIQ proof-of-concept grants (approximately €350,000 with an additional UNIIQ tranche recorded in late 2025). The company has assembled a broad partner ecosystem spanning TU Delft, TNO, Liminal (WMC Group), Stibat, Rabobank, Maastricht University, Eurofins, Envigroup, Provincie Zuid-Holland, GEF, and the EU. Revenue model specifics and pricing are not publicly disclosed; the company remains pre-commercial.

Name

Back to Battery

Legal name

Back to Battery B.V.

Website

https://back-to-battery.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Back to Battery is a Dutch pre-revenue cleantech startup developing a proprietary closed-loop hydrometallurgical process to recover battery-grade Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Manganese, and Graphite from lithium-ion battery black mass for European battery value-chain partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Battery Recycling Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Direct Recycling & Cathode Regeneration (Relithiation, Reconditioning) (EUAFACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Battery Materials Refining & Re-Manufacturing Feedstocks (Li, Ni, Co, Mn, Graphite Salts) (EUAIAIAJ)

Keywords

• Battery recycling services
• Critical raw materials recovery
• Hydrometallurgical processing
• Lithium-ion battery recycling
• Circular battery economy

Headquarters

HQ city

Delft

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Battery Material Recovery Services: Company is developing pilot plant operations (2025) with plans for demonstration line processing black mass from thousands of EVs by 2026/2027. Revenue model not yet publicly disclosed as company is in early-stage development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Back to Battery operates a proprietary hydrometallurgical refining process that recovers critical raw materials—Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Manganese, and Graphite—from lithium-ion battery black mass. The closed-loop technology delivers battery-grade outputs equal to virgin materials, generates zero waste via internal recycling of water and reactants, and is designed for low energy consumption and low cost compared to conventional recycling methods.

Product overview

Back to Battery operates as a single unified technology offering focused on circular battery recycling. The company's core product is its proprietary hydrometallurgical refining process that recovers critical raw materials (Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Manganese, Graphite) from lithium-ion battery black mass. The technology enables a closed-loop solution that transforms end-of-life batteries into battery-grade materials equal to virgin materials, supporting Europe's sustainable battery supply chain. The company is scaling from lab validation (2024) through pilot plant operations (2025) toward industrial-scale demonstration lines (2026/2027) and eventual global deployment (2029+).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hydrometallurgical Battery Recycling Technology Proprietary hydrometallurgical refining process that recovers critical raw materials (Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Manganese, Graphite) from lithium-ion battery black mass with minimal waste, low energy consumption, and high-purity outputs equivalent to virgin materials. Targeted at battery value chain partners, EV manufacturers, battery producers, and industrial recyclers across Europe.
• Pilot Plant Operations Pilot-scale plant operations validating the company's hydrometallurgical recycling process for processing lithium-ion battery black mass, supporting industrial demonstration and future scale-up.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero waste process with internal recycling of water and reactants
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TU DelftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for PhD research in Extractive Metallurgy. Collaboration with Delft University validated technical feasibility of the proprietary process at lab scale.
• TNOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in battery value chain collaboration for developing scalable and sustainable solutions for recovering critical raw materials.
• Liminal (WMC Group)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartner in the European battery value chain ecosystem for sustainable battery solutions.
• StibatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch battery collection and recycling organization, part of the extended producer responsibility ecosystem.
• EnvigroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental services partner in the battery recycling ecosystem.
• Stichting OpenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation supporting open innovation in the battery value chain.
• Provincie Zuid-HollandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government support for sustainable innovation in South Holland province.
• Maastricht UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner with multidisciplinary research capabilities in sustainable materials.
• KWS SeurenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInfrastructure partner in the battery recycling value chain.
• FRTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the battery recycling ecosystem.
• EUminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Union funding and regulatory framework for sustainable battery supply chain.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Umicore: Belgian-headquartered global materials technology and recycling group with a dedicated battery recycling business (Umicore Rechargeable Battery Materials) using hydrometallurgical processes to recover Li, Ni, Co from black mass. Compares to Back to Battery as the established European leader in the same recycling category.
• Northvolt: Swedish battery cell manufacturer with integrated recycling operations (Revolt) for hydrometallurgical recovery of black mass from production scrap and end-of-life cells. Adjacent peer as European-based battery materials player with recycling ambitions.
• Glencore: Swiss-headquartered mining and commodity trading giant with significant cobalt, nickel, and battery materials operations and an active battery recycling business. Compares as a large incumbent competing in CRM recovery and refining.
• BASF: German chemical major with battery materials (cathode active materials) and a black mass processing prototype line for closed-loop CRM recovery. Compares as a large incumbent in adjacent battery materials refining.

Direct peers

• Li-Cycle: Canadian-headquartered battery recycler using a hub-and-spoke model with the proprietary 'Spoke' mechanical process plus a centralized 'Hub' hydrometallurgical refinery to produce battery-grade materials from black mass. Direct hydrometallurgical CRM recovery peer.
• Redwood Materials: US-based battery recycling and cathode-active material company founded by former Tesla CTO JB Straubel, recovering critical materials from end-of-life batteries and production scrap. Direct peer on Li-ion battery recycling using hydrometallurgy-based processes.
• Hydrovolt: Norwegian joint venture between Norsk Hydro and Northvolt for industrial-scale recycling of EV batteries and production scrap with hydrometallurgical processing. Direct European competitor in battery black mass processing.
• Duesenfeld: German battery recycler operating a hydrometallurgical process to recover Li, Co, Ni, Mn, and graphite from end-of-life Li-ion batteries. Direct European SME-scale peer using similar chemistry approach.
• Cyclic Materials: Canada-based hydrometallurgical rare earth and battery materials recycler with a similar early-stage commercialization profile. Compares on the chemistry platform (hydrometallurgy) and target end-products (battery-grade recovered materials).
• Fortum: Finnish energy company operating a hydrometallurgical battery recycling plant with a focus on European Li-ion battery black mass recovery. Compares on process approach and European geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/back-to-battery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Back to Battery