Elemental Strategic Metals, based in Zawiercie, and Ascend Elements, based in Westborough, Massachusetts, in April announced the formation of AE Elemental, a joint venture based in Zawiercie. The companies will own 50% in the JV and will be the operators of a newly built electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling plant, which will deal with dismantling, discharging and recycling EV batteries, including active cathode material (CAM) and cathode precursor (pCAM). The plant will have the capacity to recycle up to 12,000 tons of batteries per year, or approximately 28,000 EV batteries per year.
The co-owners of AE Elemental agreed on further joint investments in the field. Construction of a lithium extraction facility with a production capacity of up to 20,000 metric tons of black mass per year will begin in the fall of 2024, and is expected to become operational in 2026. In addition, the companies plan to start construction of a modern EV battery recycling plant in central Germany. The AE Elemental plant in Germany will have a recycling capacity of up to 25,000 tons of batteries per year, or approximately 58,000 EVs per year.
“This is a step towards becoming a key global player in the industry of materials necessary for the production of new EV batteries,” said Paweł Jarski, president of Elemental Holding. “The AE Elemental joint venture is a milestone for Ascend Elements, representing our first commercial-scale battery recycling facility in Europe,” said Mike O’Kronley, CEO of Ascend Elements.
