Ascend Elements, a vertically integrated battery materials company, will begin producing greater than 99% pure, sustainable lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃) recovered from used lithium-ion batteries at its facility in Covington, Georgia, in 2025. The company plans to produce up to 3,000 metric tons of sustainable, domestic Li₂CO₃ per year. Currently, recycled Li₂CO₃ is not produced at a commercial scale anywhere in the U.S., and the only other domestic source is from a mining operation in Nevada.

“This is the first new, domestic source of lithium carbonate in the 21st century,” said Eric Gratz, co-founder and CTO of Ascend Elements. “This new domestic supply of a critical battery material will help U.S. industries meet growing demand while avoiding the possibility of tariffs on imported materials.”

The compound is used to make advanced batteries for grid-scale energy storage applications as well asAscend Elements is commissioning a new lithium carbonate recovery line at its advanced battery recycling facility in Covington, Georgia. Source: Ascend Elements electric vehicles, boats and aircraft. According to Gratz, Ascend Elements’ innovative lithium recovery process produces a remarkably low level of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions compared to conventional methods like mining and brine extraction.

Ascend Elements’ innovative lithium extraction process produces just 2.27 kg of CO₂ emissions per 1 kg of Li₂CO₃ produced. By comparison, spodumene mining produces approximately 16.7 kg of CO₂ emissions per 1 kg and Chilean brine extraction produces approximately 3.6 kg of CO₂ emissions per 1 kg of Li₂CO₃. These preliminary comparisons are from a life cycle assessment not yet critically reviewed.

“To put this in perspective, our current process of lithium extraction from used lithium-ion batteries is about 86% less carbon-intensive compared to spodumene mining and 37% less carbon-intensive compared to Chilean brine extraction,” Gratz said.

The Ascend Elements facility in Covington is one of North America’s largest lithium-ion battery recycling facilities. In operation since August 2022, the plant has the capacity to recycle up to 30,000 metric tons of lithium-ion battery materials per year or approximately 70,000 electric vehicle battery packs annually.