Quinn, Senior Reporter, Waste DiveBrief:

Battery recycling initiatives from Princeton NuEnergy and Nth Cycle are among seven projects receiving grants from the U.S. Department of Energy. The department announced up to $500 million for projects meant to boost critical mineral processing and recycling capacity last week.

Princeton NuEnergy, a lithium-ion battery recycling and cathode manufacturing company, will receive up to $50 million to help build a demonstration facility in Georgia to “recover and rejuvenate” nickel from cathode material in battery manufacturing scrap.

Nth Cycle, a critical minerals refining company, was awarded up to $100 million. It plans to build a commercial-scale facility to refine up to 24,000 metric tons of black mass a year from end‑of‑life lithium‑ion batteries and manufacturing scrap.

The federal government continues to dial up attempts to build domestic supply chains for critical materials, mostly to reduce reliance on overseas sources and strengthen manufacturing for energy infrastructure.

The Trump Administration further accelerated that effort when it announced a one-year ban on exporting black mass, created by shredding spent lithium-ion batteries and containing a mix of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and others. That ban goes into effect on August 27.

Read the full story here

Daily energy and environment updates. Free 30-day subscription