This milestone puts the battery recycling industry one step closer to increasing lithium-ion processing capacity in North America

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cirba Solutions, the premier battery recycling materials and management company, achieves a major milestone in the expansion of its Ohio lithium-ion processing facility. When complete, the Lancaster, Ohio battery recycling and materials recovery site will produce battery-grade metal sulfates and lithium carbonate. These components will be the raw material supply for precursor cathode active materials (pCAM) and cathode active materials (CAM) to support the manufacturing of new batteries. The Topping Out Ceremony was held to celebrate the last beam being put into place for one of the new structures on the expanding campus. Staff, construction teams and company leadership signed the beam before it was put into place, signifying the pride, dedication and achievements of the team in reaching this important project milestone.

"This beam represents everyone's diligent focus on both advancing and moving this key project forward, which will greatly influence the North American critical materials supply chain," said Troy Thennis, Senior Vice President of Growth Projects and Technology at Cirba Solutions. "We're able to celebrate this milestone because of the true collaborative effort we have with our engineering team, operations group and all our partners."

This milestone comes quickly after the ribbon cutting at the facility in Lancaster, Ohio in August when representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) witnessed first-hand the 300 percent increase in end-of-life and scrap battery processing capacity at the facility. When construction is complete, the new building will house additional processing capacity, expanding the overall site processing capacity to 600 percent from 2022.

More than $400 million has been invested into the site's expansion, which includes over $82 million in funding from the U.S. DOE as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The expansion will create more than 100 new generational jobs and produce enough battery-grade salts to power more than 250,000 EV batteries annually. Currently, in Lancaster, Ohio, the company has reached over 25 percent of its hiring goal, highlighting the impact this funding is having in local communities.

"Increasing lithium-ion battery processing capacity allows the U.S. to play a pivotal role in the build out of the critical materials supply chain," said David Klanecky, President and CEO of Cirba Solutions. "We are not slowing down, and this facility is direct confirmation of that and demonstrates how steel is going into the ground, ensuring global competitiveness to ensure we capture these critical metals domestically. And beyond lithium, the Lancaster, Ohio facility will support a range of critical materials, including cobalt, nickel, manganese and other components that can be used over and over again, ultimately creating a more stable and secure closed-loop supply chain."

For more information about Cirba Solutions, visit the company's website.

About Cirba Solutions
Cirba Solutions is a premier battery recycling materials and management company extracting critical materials from scrap and used batteries, and then supplying those battery-grade metals back into the supply chain. As the only vertically integrated team with an operational, differentiated platform and a full suite of capabilities, Cirba Solutions is leading the creation of a circular battery supply chain.

Follow Cirba Solutions on LinkedIn and X.

SOURCE Cirba Solutions