Ascend Elements Opens Largest EV Battery Recycling Facility of North America

Recycled lithium carbonate recovered from used lithium-ion batteries by Ascend Elements.

As recycling continues to emerge as a key pillar of the Lithium battery question, Ascend Elements has opened its first commercial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling facility this week. The facility is claimed to be the largest in the US, the world’s largest auto market.

Ascend Elements said that located in Covington, Georgia, the $50 million Base 1 facility is actually North America’s largest electric vehicle battery recycling facility. As demand for electric vehicles increases, lithium-ion battery recycling is becoming an increasingly important part of the EV battery materials supply chain.

As per the official statement, the facility began partial operations in August 2022 and now has an annual capacity to process 30,000 metric tons of used lithium-ion batteries and manufacturing scrap – equal to 70,000 electric vehicle batteries per year.

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Mike O’Kronley, CEO of Ascend Elements, said, “This facility is an important part of America’s EV battery infrastructure, and this is just the start. As an industry, we need to continue building our closed-loop battery materials supply chain to make electric vehicle batteries cleaner and more sustainable.”

Ascend Elements claims to recover up to 98% of the critical battery metals in used electric vehicle batteries and gigafactory manufacturing scrap. By recycling used lithium-ion batteries and scrap with its patented Hydro-to-Cathode process, it can reduce the carbon footprint of new electric vehicle battery cathode materials by up to 90%.

The ultra-clean and efficient facility is powered by renewable energy and features onsite wastewater recycling and treatment systems, says Ascend Elements.

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Based in Westborough, Massachusetts, Ascend Elements claims to be the leading provider of sustainable, closed-loop battery material solutions. From EV battery recycling to commercial-scale productions of lithium-ion battery precursor (pCAM) and cathode active materials (CAM), the company is revolutionizing the production of sustainable lithium-ion battery materials.

The Hydro-to-Cathode direct precursor synthesis technology of Ascend Elements produces new CAM from spent lithium-ion cells more efficiently than traditional methods, resulting in improved economics and lowered GHG emissions. With fewer batteries going to landfill and a cleaner manufacturing process, the firm is taking the lithium-ion battery industry to a higher level of sustainability.