Battery Recycling

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.

The German chemical company BASF has entered into a partnership with German recycling company TSR Group to recycle electric vehicle batteries in Europe. The goal is to integrate processes along the value chain more closely. Initially, the focus will be on dismantling and discharging used batteries, as well as processing them into a substance known as black mass. Specific timelines or agreed-upon volumes have not been disclosed. Expansion of the battery recycling process chain This collaboration complements the existing structures of both companies. The TSR Group will contribute its existing methods for processing metal fractions and electronic components. Through the BLC joint venture with Rhenus Automotive, TSR handles tasks such as disassembling and unloading battery packs. TSR claims to have a network of over 190 locations in Europe and experience managing complex material flows. The production of black mass will subsequently take place at a BASF facility in Schwarzheide. BASF states that the collaboration also includes exploring further joint activities. These include processing metal fractions from black mass production and closer coordination of logistics for used batteries. Source:https://www.basf.com/global/de/media/news-releases/2026/04/p-26-056

The U.S. battery recycler Ascend Elements has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company says its goal is to achieve long-term financial stability. This move comes amid ongoing liabilities and structural issues from the past that could not be resolved through cost-cutting measures and new financing approaches. Ascend Elements points to more than $2 billion in commercial agreements, as well as $320 million in government funding in Poland. However, these measures were apparently insufficient to secure the company’s liquidity on a sustainable basis.  Operations are reportedly going to continue as usual during the restructuring process. Existing customer contracts, including a purchase agreement with Trafigura, are set to remain in place. Ascend Elements is positioning itself in the battery materials market amid the trends of electrification and regionalization of supply chains. The company’s proprietary hydro-to-cathode process is at the core of this strategy and is intended to produce materials such as lithium carbonate and pCAM in an integrated process. According to the company, this process reduces steps, chemical usage, and emissions while achieving cost parity with Asian producers. Production at the Covington, Georgia plant has reportedly already reached commercial scale. Since 2025, the plant has produced lithium carbonate with a purity of over 99 percent. Additional facilities in Kentucky and Poland are under construction or in the planning stages. Building up these production capacities is capital-intensive and puts additional strain on the company’s finances. Source:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/opening-door-new-era-ascend-elements-ascendelements-wnymc/

As part of the SIB:DE consortium, the Aachen-based company Cylib is participating in the development of an industrial recycling process for sodium-ion batteries. Twenty-five partners from industry and research are working on the project, including VARTA, EDAG, and several Fraunhofer Institutes. Funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space, the project is scheduled to run until early 2029. The project aims to develop large-format sodium-ion cells, while simultaneously investigating their recyclability. The aim is to lay the groundwork for industrial production before significant quantities of used batteries become available. EDAG Production Solutions coordinates the project activities. Cylib, in collaboration with the Technical University of Braunschweig, is leading the recycling activities. Focus on two recycling pathways Specifically, two different pathways are being examined. One is based on established mechanical and hydrometallurgical processes. The second approach, known as direct recycling, involves reusing active materials without complete chemical processing. According to the project description, this approach could reduce costs and preserve material properties, particularly for production waste. A pilot demonstration is planned for 2029. cylib states that it is pursuing a strategy of building up recycling capacities at an early stage. The company is planning an industrial facility at CHEMPARK Dormagen with an annual processing capacity of up to 60,000 tons. The company has implemented a similar approach for lithium-ion batteries and raised over 140 million euros for this purpose. Source:https://www.cylib.de/post/cylib-pioneers-sodium-ion-battery-recycling-with-german-industry-and-research

The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials Research (IFAM) is developing an electrochemical process to recover critical raw materials from batteries. The focus is on lithium, cobalt, and nickel, the demand for which has risen significantly due to the increased use of lithium-ion batteries. The project, named “MeGaBat,” aims to recover high-purity materials from recycling processes, thereby closing the material cycle. Process adaptable to various metals The process is based on treating process water from battery recycling. This water is fed into an electrochemical reactor where specially manufactured electrodes selectively bind ions from the wastewater. These electrodes are produced using a screen-printing process and can be adapted to various metals. This allows not only lithium, but also cobalt, nickel, and copper, to be isolated. At the end of the process, the separated substances are in powder form. Compared to hydrometallurgical processes, this method reportedly requires no additional chemicals and consumes less energy. It also promises a 30-40% increase in efficiency. As part of the project, the technology has already been tested on a laboratory scale. Currently, a pilot plant is being built for larger-scale tests. The project is scheduled to run until the end of 2028 and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space. Source:https://www.ifam.fraunhofer.de/en/Press_Releases/electrochemical-process-enables-recovery-of-valuable-raw-materials.html

The Munich-based battery recycler tozero has begun operations at an industrial demonstration plant for recovering critical raw materials from used batteries. Located at Chemical Park Gendorf, the facility was built in six months, according to the company. The plant is expected to process approximately 1,500 tons of battery material annually and recover more than 100 tons of lithium carbonate, as well as graphite and nickel-cobalt mixtures. tozero states that it uses an acid-free hydrometallurgical process that enables recovery in a single step. The resulting materials are expected to be pure enough for direct reuse in production. Additionally, tozero claims that its method is more cost-effective than traditional mining.  According to the company, recycled lithium and graphite have already been qualified by battery component manufacturers. The plant serves as the basis for a larger production facility, which is planned for completion by 2030. This plant is expected to process 45,000 tons of battery material annually and supply significantly higher volumes of lithium and graphite. Significance for Raw Material Supply in Europe Recycled raw materials are becoming increasingly important in the context of broader policy objectives, such as the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. Currently, Europe is heavily dependent on imports, particularly for lithium and graphite. At the same time, the volume of used batteries is growing due to the rise of electric mobility. Therefore, the company views recycling as a key component in reducing this dependence. Source:Information via email

Lithium carbonate recovered from used nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries by Aachen-based “cylib” has been qualified as suitable for production of new electric vehicle batteries.

German company Accurec claims it has opened the first recycling plant in Europe capable of recovering lithium from all types of such batteries.