Li-Cycle's Spoke 2 facility at Eastman Business Park (EBP) in Rochester, New York is now fully operational. The new Rochester facility has the capacity to process up to 5,000 tonnes of spent lithium-ion batteries per year, which brings Li-Cycle's total recycling capacity to 10,000 tonnes a year through its two North American Spokes.
The company's Spoke 2 will produce an intermediate mixed battery material product from all types of spent lithium-ion batteries, in addition to the black mass currently being produced at Spoke 1 in Kingston, Ontario.
Historically, most lithium-ion battery recyclers have used a smelting process to recover these valuable battery materials, resulting in high emissions and the loss of critical metals. With Li-Cycle's recycling services, these inefficiencies are eliminated without creating any waste as a byproduct.
"This is a crucial step in scaling Li-Cycle's technology and creating a strong foundation for the circular supply chain for lithium-ion batteries in a world where increased electrification is needed to combat climate change," said Li-Cycle CEO Ajay Kochhar. "Our goal is to better manage end-of-life lithium-ion batteries in order to meet the increasing demand for critical battery materials by creating a local source for these materials in North America."
Li-Cycle has reinvented the recycling process by developing and validating patented technologies that enable recoveries of at least 95 percent of all materials found in lithium-ion batteries through a zero-waste process. This compares to the industry norm of less than 50 percent recovery. The company processes all types of lithium-ion batteries regardless of their previous application, chemistry, or state of charge.
Both Spokes will supply black mass to Li-Cycle's future Hub, which will be constructed at Eastman Business Park in Rochester by 2022. The Hub will process black mass in order to produce critical, battery-grade materials from recycled sources, as well as other recycled materials that can be returned to the economy.
