Battery Recycling (Li-Cycle hub-and-spoke network) by Glencore: status and timeline

Milestones

Next · Rochester hub restart planning underway

Li-Cycle founded2016Complete.
First commercial spoke opened (Kingston, Ontario)2019Complete.
Rochester hub construction beginsJan 2022Complete.
Rochester hub construction paused due to cost overrunsOct 2023Complete.
Li-Cycle files for creditor protection; Glencore acquisition announcedMay 2025Complete.
Glencore acquisition completes; Rochester hub liens cleared8 Aug 2025Complete.
Rochester hub restart planning underwayTarget 2026Current milestone.

Most important updates

Upcoming

2026Rochester hub restart planning underway (next)
2027Rochester hub restart with financing secured

Current obstacles

Rochester hub restart capital and permittingThe project was frozen for 20+ months. Restarting requires resolving contractor liens, securing financing, and re-confirming environmental permits.
Sourcing spent batteries at scaleCollection and supply of used batteries from customers, end-of-life programs, and second-hand markets must grow to feed hub capacity.
Cost competitiveness with primary miningRecycled battery materials must compete on price and purity with mined nickel, cobalt and lithium. Process improvements and scale are needed.

Physics limits

Battery chemistry diversityDifferent battery chemistries (NCA, NCM, LFP, etc.) require different processing routes. A single hub may not optimize for all.
Impurity concentrationsRecycled black mass often contains more impurities than primary ore. Purification requires extra steps and cost.
Scale limits of wet chemistryHydrometallurgical processes are capital-intensive and generate chemical waste. Environmental compliance and scale-up costs constrain throughput.

How it works

3 parts

Spokes

Mechanical processing

Facilities shred batteries, separating cathode, anode, electrolyte. Black mass ships to hub.

Hub hydrometallurgy

Wet chemistry separation

Acid leaching and crystallization recover pure nickel, cobalt and lithium salts.

Supply loop

Offtake agreements

Glencore buys all premium-grade materials from the hub and sells them to battery makers, refineries, and other customers, closing the loop.

Spec sheet

Spec	Battery Recycling (Li-Cycle hub-and-spoke network)
Rochester lithium carbonate (target)	8,250 metric tons/year^R (reported)
Rochester MHP capacity (target)	72,000 metric tons/year^R (reported)
Rochester hub original cost estimate	$560 million^R (reported)
Rochester hub revised cost estimate	~$1 billion^R (reported)
Operational spoke facilities (2025)	4 (Arizona, Alabama, New York, Ontario)^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

4 updates

About Glencore

The team behind Battery Recycling (Li-Cycle hub-and-spoke network)

Glencore

Mining, battery recycling, metals, commodities

Swiss public mining and trading company. Produces copper, zinc, nickel, cobalt, oil and coal. Acquired battery recycler Li-Cycle in 2025.

Acquired Li-Cycle (Aug 2025): four North American spokes, Rochester hub, Magdeburg hub (Germany).
Rochester hub will produce 8,250 tonnes/year lithium carbonate; stalled since 2023, liens cleared.
Hydrometallurgical refining to extract nickel, cobalt, lithium from battery black mass.

glencore.com (opens glencore.com)Company profile →

Founded: 197452 yrs
Headquarters: Switzerland
Status: Public
Valuation: public
Works in: MaterialsBattery recycling
Coverage: 1 program · 4 updateslatest 31 Oct 2025checked 10 Oct
Partners: European Space Agency / International Partners (opens glencore.com)Cyclic Materials (opens glencore.com)
Acquired by: Li-Cycle Holdings (opens li-cycle.com)
People: Gary Nagle (opens en.wikipedia.org)Chief Executive Officer

Battery Recycling (Li-Cycle hub-and-spoke network)

Milestones

Most important updates

Upcoming

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Mechanical processing

Wet chemistry separation

Offtake agreements

Spec sheet

Update log

Fri 31 Oct 2025

Fri 8 Aug 2025

May 2025

Mar 2025

About Glencore

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Mechanical processing

Wet chemistry separation

Offtake agreements

Spec sheet

Update log

Fri 31 Oct 2025

Fri 8 Aug 2025

May 2025

Mar 2025

About Glencore