Heritage Battery Recycling to construct lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Arizona

Heritage Battery Recycling, an affiliate of Charlotte, North Carolina-based cross-chemistry battery management and materials processor Cirba Solutions, plans to construct an electric vehicle (EV) lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Eloy, Arizona, located between Phoenix and Tucson in Pinal County. 

An existing building at the planned location will be expanded to 75,000 square feet. The construction phase is estimated to support 75 workers, in addition to an estimated 110 permanent employees. 

“The lithium-ion battery market is expected to grow exponentially over the next several years, with a projected market size approaching $25 billion by 2028,” Cirba Solutions President and CEO David Klanecky says. “Federal incentives for the purchase of EVs, requirements for domestic EV battery manufacturing included in the Inflation Reduction Act and state requirements like California’s recent move to require all new vehicles sold in the state to be zero-emission by 2035, ensure that lithium-ion battery recycling will be critical for auto manufacturers to meet demand and have a sustainable future.” 

The company says the facility is expected to be operational by mid-2023 and will process enough battery material to support 50,000 EVs annually. While it will process end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and battery manufacturing scrap, it also will offer disassembly, sorting, warehousing and diagnostic testing services.  

The product from the Eloy facility will serve as raw material feedstock to provide battery-grade salts for new cathode and battery manufacturing, such as nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium. 

It will be Cirba’s second Arizona location, joining its processing facility in Mesa. 

In a news release, Arizona Commerce Authority President and CEO Sandra Watson says, “This new EV battery recycling facility bolsters Arizona’s vibrant battery and electric vehicle supply chain and furthers Arizona’s reputation as an epicenter for lithium batteries.”