Li-Cycle opens Rochester black mass plant

MISSISSAUGA – Li-Cycle Corp. has flipped the switch on its Spoke 2 facility at Eastman Business Park (EBP) in Rochester, New York.

The facility will produce black mass, 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.

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/year through its two North American Spokes.

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.”

95% recovery

Li-Cycle says its patented technologies enable recoveries of at least 95% of all materials found in lithium-ion batteries through a zero-waste process. This compares to the industry norm of less than 50% 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.

Li-Cycle recently closed a Series C equity funding round to fund this development and to drive expansion into international markets.