Company of the month

Graz founders give batteries a second life

From raw material to raw material: batteries are reprocessed in three steps.

(Bild: Reithofer Media)

ProtectLiB was chosen as SFG's company of the month for its unique recycling concept for lithium-ion batteries. Behind it are three young minds from Graz who want to play an important role in the circular economy.

When batteries reach the end of their service life, they become the problem children of waste management. Three young founders have tackled this problem and are looking for a solution: "We started out as students to find a way to turn batteries from a raw material into a resource," says Tobias Kopp. They combined their knowledge of chemistry, mechanical engineering and computer science and founded ProtectLiB, a spin-off from the University of Graz.

Jürgen Abraham, Tobias Kopp and Chris Pichler (from left) met at the University of Graz and founded ProtectLiB a few years later.

(Bild: Reithofer Media)

Today, their concept is patented and a research facility is located in a container on the university campus. Using specially manufactured equipment, lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are processed here so that they can be safely passed on to a new customer: First they are deactivated, then crushed, and finally the liquid components are extracted.

Named Company of the Month (from left): Barbara Eibinger-Miedl (ÖVP), State Councillor for Economic Affairs, Tobias Kopp and Jürgen Abraham (ProtectLiB) and Christoph Ludwig (SFG)

(Bild: SFG/Oliver Wolf)

E-mobility as a field of the future
"This also saves delicate transportation where there is a risk of fire," says Kopp. Until now, batteries have been transported abroad before they are processed. "Our concept differs in that we process them locally - in future, we want to do this directly at the customer's premises." Cobalt or nickel, for example, can then be processed further.

Their offer is aimed at waste disposal companies, but also at the automotive industry. After all, car batteries could soon also be given a second life. "This gives us an international technological edge. We want to close the cycle and thus ensure greater sustainability and independence," says Kopp. For their innovative idea, Kopp and his colleagues Jürgen Abraham and Chris Pichler were chosen as the Styrian Business Promotion Agency's company of the month.

Every month, SFG puts forward three candidates for Company of the Month. They introduce themselves in a video. Everyone can then vote at unternehmen-des-monats.at.