Cirba Solutions, the largest and most comprehensive battery materials and management team for end-of-life batteries and gigafactory manufacturing scrap, held a celebratory event around the expansion of the company's lithium-ion processing operations in Lancaster, Ohio, about 31 miles southeast of Columbus.
The more than $200 million expansion is aided in part by an over $82 million Department of Energy (DOE) grant, which is slated to support the circular battery supply chain and further the advancement of cost-effective lithium-ion battery processing and critical materials supply.
Cirba Solutions became the first company to officially receive funding under the DOE's Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) grant program as part of President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding highlights the first phase of more than $7 billion in total funding provided through the new bill, earmarked specifically for the battery supply chain which aims to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and the electrical grid.
Among the attendees at the Lancaster event was U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, various federal, state and local government representatives, and Cirba Solutions executives. As part of the expansion, Cirba Solutions is enhancing the existing footprint and adding on a hydrometallurgical process to produce battery grade metal salts from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and gigafactory scrap. Cirba Solutions will be one of the first companies in North America to use advanced technology to extract critical metals, such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese from lithium-ion batteries to supply domestic precursor and cathode active materials manufacturers.
Cirba Solutions and U.S. Department of Energy celebrate expansion of lithium-ion battery recycling operations in Ohio
From left to right, Jeff Laborsky, CEO at Heritage Environmental Services, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, David Klanecky, President & CEO at Cirba Solutions, Giulia Siccardo, Director, Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains and Amy Schumacher, CEO at The Heritage Group
"With Lancaster's long history of manufacturing and recycling expertise, the expansion of this Cirba Solutions facility will be a tremendous support to the sustainable battery supply chain centered right here in America," said Sec. Granholm. "The investment in this expansion, including funding awarded from the President's Investing in America Agenda, will support this facility in extracting enough battery-grade critical minerals to power 200,000 new electric vehicles per year and will create 150 good-paying jobs that will be in demand for decades to come – the perfect opportunity for Ohioans looking to build long and rewarding careers."
"We are extremely honored and proud to have the U.S. Secretary of Energy Granholm join us to celebrate this momentous occasion and grateful for the continued support and collaboration with the Department of Energy as we work toward a clean energy future," said David Klanecky, President & CEO of Cirba Solutions. "This investment is crucial to the lithium-ion battery industry as demand for battery materials continues to increase. With the assistance of the DOE, Cirba Solutions can make even greater strides in our battery recycling efforts to complete a closed-loop supply chain in North America - with the expansion of our Lancaster, Ohio facility tremendously helping us with our growth trajectory."
North America generates the third largest volume of end-of-life batteries in the world, and it is crucial to leverage the critical materials inside those batteries for a sustainable future. Also, circularity plays a key role in ensuring traceability of these materials and that they are being fully recovered. Upon completion, the Lancaster facility will produce enough premium battery-grade critical minerals to power more than 200,000 EV batteries annually.
Additionally, Cirba Solutions recently announced plans to build an EV battery recycling flagship facility in South Carolina that is expected to provide premium battery-grade critical minerals to power over 500,000 EVs annually. This expanding footprint is part of its investment of more than $1 billion in the sector over the next five years, with plans to increase its material processing capabilities by 600%.
