In the circular battery supply chain, battery recycling companies can serve different purposes: the collection and dismantling of used batteries, the refinement of black mass into metal that can be used again, and – as suppliers to the equipment manufacturers – also the provision of the corresponding machinery for these purposes. To compare lithium ion battery recycling companies, it is necessary to understand these differences.
The following guide profiles ten participants in the industry from Asia, Europe and North America. This is a practical shortlist and not a ranking by revenue or number of installed machines. MAXIM machinery is included as equipment supplier and not as commercial recycler.
China is home to a large number of battery manufacturing facilities as well as collection and recycling systems. A report from the International Energy Agency’s Global EV Outlook 2026 estimated that China accounted for more than 85% of global battery recycling capacity.
The mechanical pretreatment of waste is more and more often followed by chemical refining. This process allows the separation of copper and aluminum from the rest of the waste and the production of black mass containing the electrode materials. The black mass is then treated in hydrometallurgical facilities to extract lithium, nickel, cobalt and other valuable metals, depending on the type of battery and the specific process used.
Many manufacturers across North America, Europe and Asia are setting up capacity in the EV battery recycling market to have local access to critical minerals. However, having more installed recycling capacity does not necessarily translate into more batteries being recycled.
A large portion of the recyclable material is currently coming from manufacturing scrap. Many EV batteries are still in service for several years to come and their end-of-life is only happening in larger quantities after many years. As such, any operator looking to enter this market needs to be able to negotiate long term supply contracts, move material safely and efficiently around the world, and use processes that can be flexed to deal with a variety of different input materials.
The location close to battery manufacturers, materials processors and collection systems is advantageous for China. Experience with nickel-containing and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries from the recycling industry is also available, and these have lower content of recoverable metals.
For the plant buyer, the practical lesson of this foray into compressor sales is that the true limits on plant capacity are imposed by the availability of suitable feedstocks, by the operating costs incurred in their use, and by the arrangements made with potential downstream refining licensees.
MAXIM machinery, operated by Henan Maxim Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd., develops and manufactures recycling equipment rather than primarily purchasing waste batteries for its own refining plants. Its focus is customized mechanical pretreatment for lithium-ion battery recycling projects.
The waste lithium battery recycling production line is integrated with crushing, screening, airflow separation, transportation, a control system, and a negative-pressure dust collection system. In the whole process, black powder, copper, aluminum and other material fractions are separated and sent to next processing link. The available models are of 500-2500kg/h capacity.
Our configurations can be made for electrode scrap, NMC batteries, LFP batteries, and other materials after having proceeded to the necessary safety pre-treatment. MAXIM machinery provides the complete project, including the start-up of the plant, hands-on instruction of the plant operators, and the subsequent maintenance. The Mechanical Line should not be confused with a complete chemical refining plant to produce battery-grade lithium salts.
Redwood Materials collects batteries and manufacturing scrap, extracts critical minerals and makes materials used in domestic battery supply chains. Redwood is an integrated recycling-refining-battery materials company.
Redwood is especially relevant for manufacturers in North America who are seeking a closed-loop partnership. Redwood also is engaged in energy storage applications, to give used EV batteries a second life instead of immediately recycling them for material.3. Cirba Solutions — United States
Cirba Solutions offers battery collection, transportation, processing and recycling services across various battery types including lithium ion batteries in the U.S. They serve manufacturers and various collection programs.
We should consider this company for the following reasons: Secure logistics, Battery handling and Domestic processing services are as important as Metal recovery technology.
Umicore has many years of experience in metallurgy and combines this with knowledge of battery recycling and the production of materials. At the Hoboken plant, rechargeable batteries as well as production scrap are processed by means of pyro-hydrometallurgical methods.
The metals that this company recovers are lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper. There is a difference between the company that already exists and an investment project that is also being announced separately. When looking at the capacity and the delivery time it has to be distinguished from the announced investment project.
SK tes offers Lithium-ion battery recycling as well as electronics recycling and other technology services through its various regional operations. We can also service batteries from EV’s and other applications.
Experienced in collection networks, traceability and responsible processing, this company is ideal for multinational companies managing battery waste in different locations.
Hydrovolt is a Norwegian battery recycling company wholly owned by Norsk Hydro. Its facility in Fredrikstad processes end-of-life electric vehicle and industrial batteries through controlled discharge, dismantling, crushing and sorting. The process separates aluminum, copper and black mass for further recovery.
Hydrovolt provides battery collection, reuse assessment and recycling services for automotive and industrial customers. Its mechanical processing produces secondary raw materials, while the black mass requires downstream hydrometallurgical refining to recover battery-grade materials. This makes the company relevant to European businesses seeking a regional battery recycling partner.
Duesenfeld is a provider of lithium-ion battery recycling technology. The recycling process is based on controlled discharge, mechanical treatment, low-temperature vacuum drying and hydrometallurgical processing.
The process includes management of electrolyte and metal in order to increase the efficiency of recycling. In order to choose the right recycling system, aspects such as fire safety, the handling of solvents and energy efficiency have to be checked instead of only comparing the recovery rates.
Fortum is operating a battery recycling business targeting the European market for EV batteries as well as industrial batteries. Black mass is processed by hydrometallurgical methods for the recovery of valuable materials in Fortum’s Harjavalta facility.
Fortum is a regional option for European companies who need battery end-of-life services and recycled raw materials. Our activities include collection and pretreatment of used batteries and chemical recovery downstream of that.
SungEel HiTech recycles spent lithium-ion batteries and manufacturing scrap by means of mechanical recycling and subsequent refining stages to recover materials for the production of nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium containing products.
A player present on many markets is interesting for battery producers who look for established preprocessing and material recovery options.
American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) is operating a commercial lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Nevada while developing a capability to refine critical minerals domestically and process battery scrap as well as end-of-life batteries.
This is especially relevant to companies trying to evaluate North American recycling capacity and to investors in publicly listed recycling companies.
The biggest battery recycling companies are not necessarily your best partner for your specific project. We are talking about a recycler that buys black mass, a battery collection company and a machine manufacturer.
| Company | Main Role | Notable Focus |
| MAXIM machinery | Equipment manufacturer | Custom shredding and physical separation lines |
| Redwood Materials | Recycler and materials producer | Closed-loop U.S. battery supply |
| Cirba Solutions | Collection and recycling operator | Battery logistics and U.S. processing |
| Umicore | Metals and materials recycler | Pyro-hydrometallurgical recovery |
| SK tes | Collection and recycling services | Battery and e-waste lifecycle management |
| Hydrovolt | Recycler and materials producer | EV battery dismantling and black mass recovery |
| Duesenfeld | Recycler and technology developer | Low-temperature pretreatment |
| Fortum | Recycler and refiner | European black mass refining |
| SungEel HiTech | Recycler and refiner | Battery scrap and metal recovery |
| ABTC | Recycler and technology developer | U.S. critical mineral recovery |
You can compare potential partners by the type of battery they are using. You can compare their actual versus their planned production, their recovery stage, their product specifications, their environmental controls and the terms and conditions of their existing feedstock contracts.
Recovery claims must not be treated as interchangeable. A collection rate for black mass does not equal a lithium recovery yield from battery-grade material.
For the purchase of equipment, it is reasonable to ask for sample testing and for detailed specifications of the desired output. For recycling services, it is necessary to verify whether the service in question has the required operating permits, is able to account for the materials processed, and whether all the required downstream processes are covered.
A) After having been tested and having been processed in a safe manner, in order to be dismantled, to be cut up into pieces and to be mechanically sorted, the material can be separated into copper, aluminum and black mass. Chemical treatment can then be used in order to also recover lithium, nickel, cobalt and other materials which can be reused.
There are companies like Umicore and Redwood Materials that have large recycling operations, but a reliable global ranking needs to be based on consistent annual numbers for the throughput of the actual operations at the facilities they run, as well as the scope of their business. Announced capacity of planned operations does not necessarily translate into completed production.
A: Examplesofr such companies are Umicore (Euronext Brussels: UMI), American Battery Technology Company (Nasdaq: ABAT), Norsk Hydro (Oslo: NHY; Hydrovolt’s parent company) and Fortum (Nasdaq Helsinki: FORTUM). Again, not all of them are pure-play recyclers and their financial performance as well as the share of battery recycling in their overall busines,s can differ strongly.
A: The profitability of a battery recycling project depends on many factors such as the battery chemistry, the price of the feedstock, the cost of collection, the degree of material utilization, the operating expenses and the value of the products that can be recovered. LFP materials have different economic parameters than nickel-containing batteries. A simple capacity number does not allow to determine the return of a project.
A: There are many different systems that can be configured to process NMC, LFP, LCO and manufacturing scrap. The key to selecting a process is the battery’s condition and the required pretreatment. Verify a processor’s acceptance criteria and test a representative sample before committing to a processor.
A: A feedstock-based process flow diagram, proposed plant layout, processing rate, product characteristics, dust and gas treatment, utilities, safety rules and after-sales service would all need to be outlined in detail for the selection of a suitable mechanical recycling line from MAXIM machinery.
A low offer for a metal shredder is of little value if no conveyors, no commissioning, and no necessary spare parts are included. When purchasing scrap metal shredders for sale, the material and the scope of supply by the supplier have to be defined first. In comparison to other processing equipment for sale of scrap excerpt …
