cylib breaks ground on 236,000 sq ft industrial plant in Germany with an annual end-of-life battery recycling capacity of 30,000 tons
- The company is industrializing its market-leading proprietary technology for end-to-end recycling of lithium-ion batteries from successful pilot to industrial scale
- Embedded in the center of Europe’s chemical industry, the strategic location at Chempark Dormagen between Dusseldorf and Cologne offers ideal infrastructural and logistical scaling conditions
- The industrial plant is scheduled to commence operations in 2026, with a recycling capacity of 30,000 tons of end-of-life batteries per year
- The groundbreaking marks yet another milestone on lightspeed scaling trajectory after the successful closing of the largest funding round for a European battery recycler to date
- Battery recycling is critical to Europe’s supply of strategic critical raw materials for resilient battery infrastructure
September 9th, 2024: DORMAGEN, GERMANY – Sustainable end-to-end battery recycling firm cylib today breaks ground on its first European industrial plant located at Currenta’s Chempark Dormagen in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. One year after the commissioning of its pilot line in Aachen, cylib is marking the start of its industrial scaling with the groundbreaking ceremony, which was attended by North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister-President Hendrik Wüst.
Industrial scaling for a European circular economy
As part of the recent financing round – the largest in European battery recycling to date – cylib acquired a brownfield site, in a chemical park managed by Currenta, with a usable area of around 236,000 square ft (22,000 m2). The industrial site will enter operation in 2026 with an annual recycling capacity of around 30,000 tons of end-of-life batteries. Initially, the plant will create around 170 jobs in the region. Commenting on the expansion, Tim Hartmann, CEO of Currenta, adds: “Our goal is to become Europe’s leading sustainable chemical park. The new industrial move in battery recycling and our shared commitment to the Dormagen ecosystem perfectly align with our strategy”. With the reintroduction of sustainably recovered secondary raw materials, cylib is creating a circular battery economy and more resilient European supply chains. “Battery recycling is pioneering the circular economy, proving that economic success is compatible with reduced environmental impact,” adds CEO and co-founder of cylib Dr Lilian Schwich. This proprietary process facilitates local, resource-efficient production of sustainable raw materials in North Rhine-Westphalia.
cylib’s proprietary process sets the global benchmark for battery recycling sustainability by recovering all elements from lithium-ion batteries -implementing a water-based lithium and graphite recovery, including production scrap and black mass, reducing the environmental footprint (GHG-potential) by 30% compared to conventional methods. The new plant will serve clients from the automotive, battery manufacturing and chemical industries. The domestic and resource-friendly production of sustainable battery materials in Germany closes the loop in the circular value chain.