【SMM Flash】Northwest Iowa Landfill Launches Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Program

【Tesla Says U.S. Battery Recycling Recovers More Than 90% of Key Materials】 Tesla said its U.S. battery recycling operations can recover more than 90% of key materials, including nickel, cobalt and lithium, from scrapped lithium-ion batteries. The company reuses recovered materials in its battery supply chain, aiming to improve material recovery rates and reduce reliance on virgin mineral resources.

【Nth Cycle to Go Public via SPAC Merger, Expanding U.S. Black Mass Refining】 U.S. critical minerals refiner Nth Cycle has entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. VI, with the combined company expected to list on the New York Stock Exchange at an implied enterprise value of approximately $585 million. Nth Cycle’s OYSTER electrochemical refining platform processes black mass from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and battery manufacturing scrap to recover critical materials including nickel and lithium. The transaction is expected to support the company’s expansion of domestic critical mineral and battery material refining capabilities in the U.S.

【US DOE to Provide $500 Million for Lithium, Cobalt and Battery Materials Projects, Nth Cycle to Receive $100 Million for Black Mass Processing】 The U.S. Department of Energy will provide a total of $500 million in grants to seven companies to support domestic lithium, cobalt and battery materials projects. Battery recycler Nth Cycle will receive $100 million to develop a facility for black mass processing, while Princeton NuEnergy will receive $50 million to reprocess cathode battery materials. The funding also covers lithium extraction, cobalt refining, electrolyte chemicals and silicon-based anode materials, as the U.S. seeks to strengthen its critical minerals and battery supply chains and build a domestic battery and black mass recycling ecosystem.