cylib Acquires Bavarian Battery Pre-Processing Facility to Expand End-to-End Recycling Network

German battery recycling company cylib has acquired a battery discharging, disassembly and mechanical processing facility in Wernberg-Köblitz, Bavaria, marking a major step in expanding its end-to-end battery recycling operations. The site has the capacity to process up to 10,000 metric tonnes of end-of-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries annually and is expected to begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approval.

The acquisition was completed through insolvency proceedings and includes the processing line, building and property. cylib said it will recommission the previously decommissioned facility under its own operational, environmental and safety standards, working in coordination with Bavarian authorities. The company will assume full responsibility for the site’s operations once ownership is transferred.

The Bavarian facility will serve as the first stage of cylib’s integrated recycling process, converting end-of-life EV batteries into black mass through mechanical treatment. The material will then be supplied to the company’s hydrometallurgical recycling plant under construction in Dormagen, North Rhine-Westphalia, where valuable battery materials will be recovered.

At the Dormagen facility, cylib plans to extract critical raw materials including lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt and manganese for reuse in battery manufacturing. By combining battery collection, pre-processing and hydrometallurgical refining within a single operation, the company aims to establish one of Europe’s fully integrated battery recycling platforms.

“cylib is built on a clear conviction: battery recycling has to be end-to-end, from the end-of-life battery to the high-quality critical raw material,” said Dr. Lilian Schwich, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of cylib. “In our pilot plant we have demonstrated those end-to-end capabilities. In Dormagen we are building the high-quality material recovery end. With this acquisition we are now adding the end-of-life processing capability at large scale.”

Located in southern Germany, the Wernberg-Köblitz facility provides access to one of Europe’s largest automotive manufacturing regions and its battery supply chains. cylib said the location will help secure a stable supply of end-of-life batteries from automotive manufacturers, battery producers and tier-one suppliers while providing feedstock for its downstream recycling operations.

Dr. Gideon Schwich, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of cylib, said expanding large-scale processing capacity will allow the company to provide more comprehensive recycling services to customers across the battery value chain.

The acquisition also reflects the company’s strategy of repurposing existing industrial assets rather than constructing new facilities, an approach intended to reduce environmental impacts and accelerate project development.

Demand for battery recycling capacity is expected to increase rapidly as electric vehicle adoption grows. Citing the International Energy Agency’s Global EV Outlook 2026, cylib noted that Europe’s end-of-life EV battery volumes are projected to more than triple between 2030 and 2035, increasing the need for domestic recycling infrastructure and recovered critical materials.

The company expects to begin industrial-scale processing at the Bavarian facility in the fourth quarter of 2026 following approval under Germany’s Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG). The site is scheduled to gradually ramp up production, with full processing capacity targeted by the end of 2027.

Source: cylib

SUNSHINE Spotlight: cylib’s latest acquisition strengthens Europe’s battery recycling infrastructure by integrating large-scale battery pre-processing with domestic critical material recovery, supporting a more resilient regional battery supply chain.