Battery recycling specialist Ascend Elements (formerly Battery Resourcers) has been selected by SK Battery America (SKBA) to recycle both cell and module battery manufacturing scrap from SKBA’s manufacturing facility in Commerce, Georgia. The scrap material will be recycled at Ascend Elements’ new 154,000-square-foot battery recycling facility in Covington, Georgia, which is designed to recover 98% of battery materials and return critical elements to the supply chain.

Ascend Elements raised $90 million in 2021 to expand its battery recycling and cathode manufacturing operations. It says its Georgia recycling plant will have an annual capacity of 30,000 metric tons when fully operational.

“People often think lithium-ion battery recycling is just for end-of-life batteries, but waste from the battery cell manufacturing process is the biggest segment of the battery recycling market right now,” said Michael O’Kronley, CEO of Ascend Elements. “SKBA is embracing sustainability and reducing its impact on the environment by recycling every bit of scrap battery material it produces. We are committed to continuing our work with SKBA and eventually returning the battery materials we recover to their supply chain. Lithium-ion battery recycling and materials recovery needs to become standard operating practice across the industry to minimize our dependence on mining, protect the environment and conserve valuable battery metals.”

“Our vision is to create a circular supply chain for electric vehicle batteries from raw materials to recycling in the United States,” said Alex Yarbrough, Environmental Engineer at SK Battery America. “We will move forward with Ascend Elements to improve the overall carbon-reduction value of EVs.”

Source: Ascend Elements