US-based battery recycling materials and management company Cirba Solutions has been selected to enter negotiations with the US Department of Energy for up to $200 million in funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the construction of its lithium-ion processing facility in Columbia, South Carolina.

The facility will manufacture battery-grade salts for the EV market by recycling lithium-ion batteries obtained from end-of-life EVs, energy storage systems, end-of-life consumer materials and manufacturing scrap from cell producers and automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

When fully operational, the 200-acre site will be capable of processing more than 60,000 tons of batteries per year, providing enough battery-grade salts for approximately 500,000 EV batteries annually. It will be the company’s seventh operational facility.

The funding, announced by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC), is targeted at expanding the nation’s domestic battery recycling capabilities to help create a domestic closed-loop supply chain for critical materials.

Cirba Solutions has previously received an award of $75 million for the expansion of its Lancaster, Ohio lithium-ion processing facility.

“The funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides us with a vital opportunity to increase capacity through the sourcing and processing of these critical materials in a responsible and sustainable way,” said David Klanecky, CEO and President of Cirba Solutions. “It will help strengthen our nation’s supply chains, accelerate accessibility to critical battery-grade metals for new battery production and help to establish our country as a true competitor in the global battery industry, all while enhancing energy independence and national security.”

Source: Cirba Solutions