Cirba Solutions and General Motors have completed a recycling pilot that returned nickel, cobalt and manganese from end-of-life GM battery packs to new production, the companies reported Sept. 22. The result: the automaker's first battery cells with cathode active material (CAM) containing 100% recycled nickel, cobalt and manganese — the first GM vehicles powered by those cells rolled off assembly lines this month and are headed to consumers.

The pilot moves recovered metals back into the same supply chain they came from, rather than diverting them into unrelated markets. That distinction matters for the battery sector. Closed-loop recycling returns materials from spent batteries and manufacturing scrap to cell production, cutting the volume of virgin material future cells require.

How does the loop actually work?

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Cirba Solutions collected and disassembled end-of-life GM EV battery packs, then shipped the battery materials to its Lancaster, Ohio, lithium-ion recycling and recovery facility.

There, the process ran through four stages:

• Shredding and processing of lithium-ion material into black mass, a concentrated intermediate containing nickel, cobalt, manganese and other recoverable battery materials.
• Refinement of the recovered nickel, cobalt and manganese to the same standards required of virgin materials.
• Conversion of the refined material into CAM containing 100% recycled nickel, cobalt and manganese, via an additional strategic partnership.
• Cell production at Ultium Cells, the GM–LG Energy Solution battery manufacturing joint venture.

From Ultium, the cells moved into GM's manufacturing network. Teams at Factory ZERO in Detroit and the Spring Hill assembly center in Tennessee built them into battery modules and packs for new electric vehicles.

Cirba operates six facilities across North America. Beyond Lancaster, the company handles collection, transport, disassembly and processing of batteries and manufacturing scrap for reuse across the battery supply chain. The GM relationship dates to 2021, when the partners began recycling lithium-ion batteries and cell scrap generated through manufacturing and research at select GM facilities. The pilot takes that arrangement beyond recycling alone.

What are the executives saying?

"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 GM Director of Sustainable EV Battery Ecosystem Melissa Flaherty.

Cirba Solutions President and CEO David Klanecky framed the program in supply-chain terms. "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," Klanecky said. He added: "The global battery supply chain is an interconnected network of innovative and collaborative organizations – and engaging in partnerships like this with GM shows us how this work can truly strengthen our supply chains, manufacturing, global competitiveness and national security."

What capacity sits behind the pilot?

The pilot runs on top of a commercial-scale buildout at Lancaster. Cirba is expanding the Ohio operation to move more recovered lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese back toward battery manufacturing — an expansion representing more than $400 million in investment and supported by more than $82 million in U.S. Department of Energy funding.

Once fully operating, the expanded Lancaster facility is expected to produce enough battery-grade critical minerals to support more than 250,000 electric vehicle batteries annually. That capacity gives the type of closed-loop supply demonstrated with GM a commercial footing beyond demonstration scale.

Why now?

The demand backdrop is steep. Global battery demand is projected to reach approximately 4.2 terawatt-hours annually by 2030 and 6.8 terawatt-hours by 2035, while nearly 14 million electric vehicle batteries are projected to reach end of life globally by 2040. Recycling is expected to supply a growing secondary stream of materials against that curve.

The pilot also points beyond EVs. As more lithium-ion batteries exit their first use, recovered critical minerals could feed battery production across energy storage systems, data centers and consumer devices — applications Cirba identifies as future outlets for recovered material.

What happens next?

The milestone to watch is the Lancaster expansion reaching full operation and its promised 250,000-batteries-per-year output of battery-grade critical minerals. That is the point at which the closed-loop chemistry proven with GM moves from pilot validation to contracted, commercial-scale supply of recycled nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium into North American cell production.