The Chemical Industry Federation of Finland’s Innovation Award given to Fortum’s recycling technology based on vehicle batteries
In 2022, the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland’s Innovation Award was given to Fortum’s recycling technology that uses vehicle batteries. The Innovation Award was given at the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland’s event on 27 April 2022.
The Chemical Industry Federation of Finland rewards companies and professionals in the chemical industry with its Innovation Award, which is granted every other year and has a total value of EUR 30,000. The purpose of the award is to encourage the research and development teams of companies, universities and research organisations to develop new chemical products and services. The aim is to find inventions and innovations that improve the wellbeing of people and the environment in everyday life as well as in industrial production processes.
This year’s Innovation Award was given to Fortum’s recycling technology based on used lithium-ion batteries of vehicles. In a water treatment process, battery chemicals are separated by means of hydrometallurgical extraction and by using chromatography. The recovery rate is 95% in the method. Currently, the method is in a commercialisation phase. Its history dates back to 2017 and a company called Crisoltec, which Fortum acquired in 2020.
“The bar was set high in the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland’s annual competition again this year. Currently, there is high demand for innovation in the circular economy, also on a global scale. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a key factor in achieving carbon neutrality goals. Transport and logistics are going electric at a rapid pace. In this green transition, the battery technology plays a key role. This is exactly what Fortum’s recycling technology represents,” says Mika Aalto, CEO of the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland.
“Once again, there were plenty of excellent innovations among the entries. The selection committee faced a challenging task in selecting this year’s finalists and eventually the winner. Fortum’s recognised technology is an excellent example of an innovation that speeds up the green transition,” says Petri Lehmus, Vice President of Research and Development at Neste Corporation and Chair of the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland’s Innovation Group.
Honourable mentions were given to the following recipients:
Kemira Oyj’s FennoGuard™ -barrier concept for recycled packaging based on wood fibres
Gaia NPK, Meriaura Oy’s recycled fertiliser based on fermentation residues and eligible for organic production
High-performance biopolyesters based on furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural created by the University of Oulu’s working group for organic functional materials
Further information:
Chemical Industry Federation of Finland
Carmela Kantor-Aaltonen, Senior Advisor, Innovations, secretary of the Innovation Award Selection Committee, carmela.kantor-aaltonen@kemianteollisuus.fi, tel. +358 50 4045 166
