Cirba Solutions and GM Complete Closed-Loop EV Battery Recycling Pilot

According to company reports, General Motors (GM), Cirba Solutions and their partners have completed a closed-loop electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling pilot that uses materials recovered from end-of-life GM EV battery packs to produce new battery cells.

The pilot produced GM EV batteries using cathode active material (CAM) containing 100% recycled nickel, cobalt and manganese. The project demonstrates how critical minerals recovered from retired batteries can be returned to the battery manufacturing supply chain rather than being used only for lower-value applications.

As part of the program, GM worked with Cirba Solutions to disassemble and process end-of-life EV battery packs. The recovered materials were transported to Cirba Solutions’ lithium-ion battery recycling and recovery facility in Ohio, where the batteries were shredded and processed into black mass, an intermediate material containing concentrated critical minerals.

The black mass then underwent further refining to produce battery-grade materials. Because recycled materials must meet the same performance requirements as virgin materials for use in new EV cells, the project included validation of the recovered materials before they were used to produce CAM containing entirely recycled nickel, cobalt and manganese.

The recycled CAM was subsequently used by Ultium Cells, the battery manufacturing joint venture between GM and LG Energy Solution, to produce new EV battery cells. GM manufacturing teams assembled the cells into battery modules and packs at its Factory ZERO and Spring Hill assembly centers.

The first EVs equipped with battery cells containing CAM made from the recycled critical minerals rolled off GM production lines this month and are now headed to consumers, according to the company.

“This pilot shows that the value of an EV battery can extend well beyond its first life – and that strong partnerships across the battery ecosystem are essential to building a more circular, resilient future for battery technology,” said Melissa Flaherty, Director of Sustainable EV Battery Ecosystem at GM.

The project comes as the volume of end-of-life EV batteries is expected to grow alongside global EV adoption. The International Energy Agency projects that nearly 14 million EV batteries could reach end-of-life globally by 2040, while demand for lithium-ion batteries is expected to continue expanding across EVs and other applications.

GM and Cirba Solutions said the pilot demonstrates the potential for domestic battery recycling and processing infrastructure to support closed-loop supply chains. Similar approaches could be applied across battery formats and applications, including EVs, energy storage systems, consumer electronics and data centers.

“Battery recycling is an important, intersecting component across the battery supply chain, and this program effectively demonstrates the value that recycling end-of-life batteries brings to creating a closed-loop supply of critical minerals,” said David Klanecky, President and CEO of Cirba Solutions.

By recovering nickel, cobalt and manganese from end-of-life batteries and returning them to battery manufacturing, the collaboration provides a model for reusing critical minerals within the battery supply chain. The companies said such recycling partnerships could help reduce reliance on newly mined materials while supporting domestic processing capacity and supply chain resilience.

Source: Cirba Solutions

SUNSHINE Spotlight: GM, Cirba Solutions and their partners have completed a closed-loop battery recycling pilot that returned recovered nickel, cobalt and manganese from end-of-life GM EV batteries to new battery cells.