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The Department of Energy (DoE) has announced the allocation of $63 million by the Biden-Harris administration to boost battery recycling and smart manufacturing in the United States.
The new funding should enable state and local governments to expand battery recycling and modernize manufacturing with technologies such as advanced sensors and modeling that are more accessible to small and medium-sized manufacturers.
The funds will be administered by the DoE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC), and the application deadline is Monday, September 16, 2024. Awards made as a result of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, more commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act (BIL).
The battery recycling funds are intended to increase the number of state and local programs to help establish or improve state battery collection, recycling and reprocessing programs. This is intended to increase participation in recycling programs, as well as develop electronics and battery recycling programs that “can immediately help sustain a national battery supply chain.”
This increased focus on battery recycling comes as the U.S. seeks to reduce its reliance on raw materials from other countries, particularly China, which has massively ramped up renewable energy production, energy storage, and electric vehicle production over the past two decades and now dominates multiple battery materials supply chains around the world. By repurposing batteries for second-life applications—such as using electric vehicle batteries in stationary storage applications—and recycling batteries, raw materials are kept in perpetual use and value chains are maximized without the need for foreign sourcing.
The recycling industry in the United States is nascent but growing rapidly. Princeton NuEnergy, a New Jersey-based direct lithium-ion battery recycling specialist, recently announced the close of a Series A funding round with a strategic investment from Samsung Venture Investment Corporation. Meanwhile, Aepnus Technology secured $8 million in seed funding to accelerate production of its novel sodium sulfate end-to-end recycling technology.
Battery recycling and reuse is supported by the development of the international Battery Passport initiative. In June 2024, the Global Battery Alliance (GBA) launched the second wave of its Battery Passport pilot projects, which includes 11 pilot consortia. |
