Toronto-based battery recycling company Li-Cycle has begun operation of the first main processing line at its new Spoke recycling facility in Magdeburg, Germany. The second main line is expected to begin running later this year.

The facility, including its two main lines and planned ancillary capacity, is expected to have a total annual processing capacity of 33,069 tons of lithium-ion battery material. It makes use of the company’s Generation 3 Spoke technology to directly process all forms of battery waste without the need for discharging, dismantling or thermal processing.

By locating the new facility in Germany, Li-Cycle enters Europe’s largest market for both battery manufacturing scrap and the expected supply of end-of-life batteries. According to the company, the new facility “is strategically located near key manufacturing centers to support the accelerating demand from Li-Cycle’s growing European customer base.”

Additional European Spokes are planned in France and Norway. Li-Cycle’s five currently operating facilities in Ontario, New York, Arizona, Alabama and Germany are expected to have a total annual input capacity of up to 89,286 tons of lithium-ion battery material.

The Spokes also produce black mass, an intermediate product that contains lithium, nickel and cobalt. Plans call for processing black mass at Li-Cycle’s future Hub facilities. The first of these is under construction in Rochester, New York, and another is under development in Portovesme, Italy.

Source: Li-Cycle