A new commercial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Chester, South Carolina, operated by Princeton NuEnergy (PNE), has achieved a recovery yield exceeding 97%, marking a significant advancement in the effort to turn old lithium devices into new energy systems. This breakthrough positions the United States at the forefront of establishing a robust, circular economy for battery materials, critical for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage.
Princeton NuEnergy’s Chester Facility Leads the Way
Princeton NuEnergy, a U.S. company headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, officially commissioned and made operational its flagship recycling facility in Chester, South Carolina, on August 6, 2025. This facility is notable as the nation’s first commercial-scale Advanced Black Mass (ABM™) and battery-grade cathode active material production facility capable of processing both nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistries.
The facility’s proprietary advanced recycling process, including a low-temperature plasma-assisted separation process (LPAS™), allows it to produce high-purity black mass and directly usable battery-grade cathode and anode materials. This impressive efficiency maximizes the economic value extracted from battery waste and significantly minimizes residual materials.
Scalable Capacity for Future Demands
With an initial capacity of 5,000 tons per year (tpa), the Chester plant plans to expand to 15,000 tpa by 2026, with the potential to scale up to 50,000 tpa in response to growing market demand. This scalability is crucial as the demand for lithium-ion batteries continues to soar across electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and consumer electronics.
The Significance of High Recovery Rates
Achieving a recovery yield of over 97% for critical battery materials like lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese is a substantial leap beyond typical industry recovery norms. This high efficiency is vital for several reasons:
- Resource Independence: Most critical minerals for battery production are predominantly sourced from overseas, creating supply chain vulnerabilities. Domestic recycling transforms waste streams into valuable material sources, reducing reliance on international suppliers and enhancing U.S. energy independence.
- Environmental Impact: Recycling lithium-ion batteries offers significant environmental benefits compared to mining and processing new materials. Studies show that recycling can emit 58% to 81% less greenhouse gas emissions, use 72% to 88% less water, and consume 77% to 89% less energy. PNE’s process, for instance, achieves a 69% lower environmental footprint compared to conventional methods.
- Circular Economy: High recovery rates are fundamental to establishing a truly circular battery supply chain, where materials are endlessly reused, minimizing waste and promoting sustainability.
Broader Landscape of US Battery Recycling
While Princeton NuEnergy marks a new high in recovery yields, other significant players are also bolstering the U.S. battery recycling infrastructure. Companies like Redwood Materials and Li-Cycle have established themselves with advanced recycling technologies and substantial capacities.
Redwood Materials
Founded by former Tesla CTO JB Straubel, Redwood Materials operates a large-scale lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Nevada. Redwood’s technology can recover, on average, more than 95% of materials such as nickel, cobalt, copper, aluminum, lithium, and graphite from lithium-ion batteries. Their patented “reductive calcination” process operates at lower temperatures, avoids fossil fuels, and yields more lithium than conventional methods.
Li-Cycle
Li-Cycle, a North American lithium-ion battery recycling specialist, also boasts a unique “Spoke & Hub Technologies™” process that can recover up to 95% of key battery materials, including lithium, nickel, and cobalt. Li-Cycle’s Rochester, NY, Hub facility, expected to be commissioned in 2023, is designed to process up to 35,000 tonnes of black mass annually, equivalent to approximately 90,000 tonnes of lithium-ion battery input.
Cirba Solutions
Cirba Solutions is another major U.S. battery recycler expanding its capabilities. With federal funding support, its expanded black mass-producing facility in Lancaster, Ohio, can produce 20,000 tonnes of black mass per year, with plans to increase this to 35,000 tonnes. Cirba Solutions also has plans for a facility in South Carolina that will be capable of processing over 60,000 tons of batteries annually, providing enough battery-grade salts for approximately 500,000 EV batteries per year.
Future Outlook for Battery Recycling
The commissioning of facilities like Princeton NuEnergy’s, alongside the ongoing expansion of other recyclers, signifies a critical push towards a robust domestic battery supply chain in the U.S. As the nation aims for half of vehicles sold to be EVs by 2030, the demand for lithium and other critical minerals will skyrocket. Efficient recycling processes, like the one demonstrating a 97% yield, are essential to meet this demand sustainably, reduce geopolitical dependencies, and minimize the environmental footprint of the clean energy transition.
