Battery Recycling

Refinyx is launching with recycling technology from Northvolt’s former business and its first major customer in the United States. The Swedish company was founded by executives from Northvolt’s former recycling division, Revolt. Financial backing comes from investment firm Qarlbo Energy. At launch, Refinyx says it acquired 134 patents as well as a roughly 1,200-square-meter pilot and laboratory facility in Västerås that previously belonged to Northvolt. The company plans to provide industrial customers with technology and engineering services for facilities that recover critical raw materials. Refinyx has not disclosed further details about its first U.S. customer. Technology developed at Northvolt Revolt According to Refinyx, the processes were developed over eight years at Northvolt Revolt and were also used at an industrial-scale recycling facility in Skellefteå. The platform is designed to recover nickel, cobalt, and lithium from end-of-life batteries, manufacturing waste, and other residual material streams. The company says the process can produce battery-grade materials without using organic solvents and without some of the intermediate processing steps typically required. Refinyx says this could allow plants to use less equipment and fewer chemicals while reducing their overall footprint. Expansion to additional materials planned Refinyx plans to expand the technology to rare earth elements, phosphorus, and other strategic materials. Rather than primarily operating the plants itself, the company intends to support industrial operators in building and ramping up their own recycling capacity. Sources:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260925970088/en/Refinyx-Emerges-from-Stealth-with-Acquisition-of-Northvolt-Recycling-Technology-and-First-Major-U.S.-Customerhttps://www.qarlbo.com/newsroom/qarlbo-energy-invests-in-refinyx

General Motors has equipped EVs with battery cells whose cathode material contains nickel, cobalt, and manganese sourced entirely from recycled materials for the first time. The material comes in part from end-of-life GM batteries. The process was initially tested as part of a pilot project with Cirba Solutions and other partners. For the pilot, 80 end-of-life EV batteries were processed. This initially produced so-called black mass, an intermediate material containing various battery raw materials. According to GM, further processing produced more than 12 metric tons of new cathode active material. Recycled Material Must Meet Requirements for New Cells According to GM, the material was subsequently tested for quality, safety, and performance. Cells containing the recovered materials reportedly met comparable requirements to cells made from newly mined materials. Ultium Cells, a joint venture between GM and LG Energy Solution, then manufactured new battery cells using the material. GM then assembled these cells into modules and battery packs. In September 2026, the first vehicles from several GM brands equipped with these cells rolled off the production line. However, the pilot covers only a limited portion of the battery material cycle. The stated 100% recycled content applies exclusively to the nickel, cobalt, and manganese in the cathode active material. GM Also Pursues Battery Reuse Before Recycling GM is also examining other uses for used batteries. According to the company, its remanufacturing and refurbishment programs are designed to reuse more than 70% of the components in a battery pack. Together with Redwood Materials, GM also plans to deploy around 10,000 used batteries in stationary energy storage systems. Sources:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/closing-the-loop-battery-recycling-pilot-uses-100-recycled-critical-minerals-to-power-new-gm-evs-302886163.htmlhttps://news.gm.com/home.detail.html/Pages/topic/us/en/2026/sep/0922-recycled-minerals-gm-ev-batteries.html

Porsche has produced battery cells in a pilot project using cathode active material made entirely from recycled raw materials. The materials include lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese recovered from the automaker’s end-of-life high-voltage batteries. Aachen-based battery recycling company cylib is among the partners involved in the project. Porsche is currently testing the cells under real-world conditions. According to the company, initial tests indicate that the approach could be technically viable. Further results are expected before the end of 2026. Recycled raw materials replace primary materials The project began last year. It involves recovering raw materials from end-of-life high-voltage batteries, processing them, and using them to produce new battery cells. In the current phase of the project, recycled active materials completely replace the primary materials previously used. Findings from the ongoing tests are therefore expected to provide a basis for the potential use of these materials in series-production battery cells. Battery recycling underway since May 2026 According to Porsche, findings from the pilot project are already being incorporated into its regular battery disposal process. Since May 2026, end-of-life high-voltage batteries from Porsche Centers in Germany have been recycled using a water-based process. The recovered battery raw materials are recorded in a material account. Starting in 2028, they are expected to be available to Porsche and selected partner companies for battery cell production. In the longer term, this could allow recycled raw materials from Europe to be used again in the automaker’s high-voltage batteries. Source:https://newsroom.porsche.com/de/2026/unternehmen/porsche-cylib-batterierecycling-43261.html

R3 Lithium has started operations at a facility that recovers lithium carbonate from recycled battery materials. The plant in Covington, Georgia, is designed to extract lithium from black mass and return it to the U.S. battery supply chain. The company also announced $15 million in Series A funding. R3 Lithium acquired the 14,000-square-meter facility in July 2026 from insolvent battery recycler Ascend Elements. According to the company, the site produced lithium carbonate with 99% purity from fully recycled feedstock at production scale in 2025. The previous leadership team remained with the operation following the acquisition. Annual Lithium Carbonate Capacity of 2,500 Metric Tons The facility has 30,000 metric tons of shredding capacity and a production line capable of producing 2,500 metric tons of lithium carbonate. Space has been allocated for another line with the same capacity. The new funding is intended primarily to upgrade the existing production line. R3 Lithium expects the facility to account for more than half of total U.S. lithium carbonate production in 2027. Processing takes place entirely at the site. Battery scrap and manufacturing waste are first processed into black mass. R3 Lithium then recovers the lithium using a calciner-based crystallization process and water-based precipitation. Offtake Agreements Intended to Support Expansion R3 Lithium says it has signed offtake agreements worth approximately $1 billion. Additional facilities are planned in North America and Europe. The company intends to develop future sites using a modular approach, with units designed for annual production capacity of 5,000 metric tons each. Source:https://www.r3lithium.com/news/critical-minerals-to-the-us-battery-supply-chain

ACCUREC Recycling GmbH has announced the official start of the final expansion phase at its Krefeld facility. According to the company, construction of the last development stage at the Bataverstraße site began with a ceremonial groundbreaking. ACCUREC is investing €5.5 million in the project. The expansion is expected to double the site’s operational area and create additional battery recycling capacity. According to the company, the expansion responds to growing demand for recycling capacity driven by the increasing adoption of electric vehicles and energy storage systems. The project aims to expand the recovery of raw materials from spent batteries while further developing existing recycling processes. Expansion Builds on Earlier Development Phases The Krefeld site has been expanded in several stages over the past years. ACCUREC relocated its headquarters there in 2016 and commissioned a lithium battery recycling plant. Beginning in 2020, the company carried out a larger expansion that included additional buildings as well as facilities for sorting, dismantling, and processing spent batteries. It later added a lithium recovery plant to the site. The current construction phase is intended to complete this development. According to the company, it represents the final expansion stage of the Krefeld facility. Source:https://accurec.de/startschuss-fuer-den-finalen-ausbau

Aachen-based battery recycling company cylib has acquired a facility for the discharge, disassembly, and mechanical processing of end-of-life electric vehicle batteries in Wernberg-Köblitz, Bavaria. According to the company, the site will be capable of processing up to 10,000 metric tons of end-of-life batteries annually. The acquisition was completed through insolvency proceedings and includes the processing line, buildings, and property. Operations are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to approval under Germany’s Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG). Facility Complements Dormagen Site According to the company, the acquisition expands cylib’s battery recycling value chain. The black mass produced at the Bavarian facility is intended to be supplied to the company’s hydrometallurgical plant currently under construction in Dormagen. There, materials including lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, and manganese are expected to be recovered. According to the company, the Wernberg-Köblitz facility represents the first element of a network for the collection and mechanical pre-processing of end-of-life EV batteries. The site is located close to major automotive and battery manufacturing hubs in southern Germany and Central Europe. The company says this will help secure access to larger volumes of end-of-life batteries. According to the company, the facility is expected to reach full capacity by the end of 2027. Quelle:https://www.cylib.de/post/cylib-brings-its-end-to-end-battery-recycling-vision-to-industrial-scale-closing-the-gap-between-end-of-life-batteries-and-critical-material-recovery

Vianode and Cylib plan to collaborate on using recycled graphite in batteries. On June 2, 2026, the companies signed a memorandum of understanding to this effect. Following further testing and successful results, both parties intend to negotiate a commercial agreement. The focus is on graphite concentrate, which Cylib extracts from recycled battery materials. Vianode will investigate whether this material is suitable for anodes in the next generation of batteries. To this end, tests, formulation development, and pilot projects are planned. The goal is to assess the material’s technical suitability for future commercial use. As part of the collaboration, Cylib will recover graphite concentrate from battery waste, black mass, and production scrap. The company claims that its water-based OLiC technology achieves recovery rates of over 90 percent for lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. Additionally, the CO₂ footprint is reportedly 80 percent lower than that of primary extraction. Source:https://www.vianode.com/news/vianode-and-cylib-are-joining-forces-to-close-the-loop-on-battery-graphite

The logistics provider DHL Supply Chain has broken ground on a European battery logistics center in Holtum, Netherlands. Scheduled to begin operations in early 2027, the facility will feature approximately 17,000 square meters of storage and service space for high-voltage batteries. According to the company, the facility will be closely integrated with DHL Supply Chain’s neighboring automotive site. The new hub is designed for batteries used in electric vehicles, as well as in battery energy storage systems, including home and solar storage systems. DHL states that this move is in response to the growing demand for specialized logistics solutions for batteries.  Technical Services for the Battery Lifecycle In addition to storage, the site will also offer a suite of technical services. These include diagnostics and performance testing, charging and conditioning, repairs, reverse logistics, and preparation for recycling processes. With this, DHL aims to consolidate several steps of the battery lifecycle at a single location. A central component of the concept is proximity to the existing automotive and spare parts site. The two sites are intended to form an integrated campus. Target customers for the services offered include those in the electric mobility, industrial, and energy sectors. Holtum is located near major transportation routes connecting the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. DHL also emphasizes its proximity to a container and inland waterway terminal on the Juliana Canal. This provides customers with additional transport options. The new facility is part of the DHL Group’s Strategy 2030. The company classifies battery logistics under the “New Energy” division and anticipates growth in this area across Europe. Source:https://group.dhl.com/en/media-relations/press-releases/2026/dhl-supply-chain-breaks-ground-on-european-battery-logistics-hub-in-the-netherlands.html

The U.S. battery recycler Redwood Materials has cut approximately 135 jobs, amounting to about 10 percent of its workforce. According to the company, these cuts are part of a strategic realignment toward its growing energy storage business. Five months ago, Redwood Materials had already cut five percent of its workforce shortly after a $425 million funding round. This decision comes during a tense period for the industry. Recently, the recycler Ascend Elements filed for bankruptcy protection. Several battery manufacturers have also restructured or exited the market. Companies cite the slowdown in electric mobility development in the U.S. as the reason. However, CEO JB Straubel describes the situation as stable internally. According to the company, the materials business is approaching profitability. Management justifies the cuts by stating that parts of the organization grew faster than necessary. Several departments are affected, including engineering and operations. The goal is to implement future projects with smaller, more focused teams. New Partnerships in the Energy Sector Redwood Materials is focusing more and more on collaborations in the energy sector. The company has announced agreements with Crusoe AI and EV manufacturer Rivian. These agreements involve providing recycled batteries to power facilities. Redwood Materials emphasizes its continued leading role in the U.S. battery recycling market. Meanwhile, Redwood Materials is striving to expand its integrated business model, which combines material processing and energy storage. Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/21/redwood-materials-lays-off-10-in-restructuring-to-chase-energy-storage-business/

In a recent market study, the GRS Batterien Foundation warns of an economic strain in battery recycling. Despite a massive surge in demand in the EU—projected to reach up to 1.3 TWh by 2035—the current recycling model is at risk of collapsing. The reason: The trend is shifting away from expensive NMC cells (nickel-manganese-cobalt) toward cheaper alternatives such as LFP and, in the future, sodium-ion batteries. While this makes e-mobility more affordable, the value of recoverable materials is declining at the same time.  “If the market shifts toward cheaper cell chemistries, the old revenue model for recycling will crumble piece by piece,” explains Georgios Chryssos, Managing Director of the GRS Batterien Foundation. “It is no longer enough to rely on metal prices.” The study emphasizes that the circular economy must be supported in the future less by revenue from raw materials and more by efficient collection infrastructure and regulatory frameworks. The foundation advocates for a more coordinated approach across battery policy, industrial policy, and the circular economy in the future. The industry must begin working on viable solutions today—before the volumes hit the market. The study is available for download on the GRS Batterien Foundation’s website.