Trump’s policies cast uncertainty over U.S. battery recycling expansion
The Biden-era battery recycling boom faces major uncertainty as President Trump rolls back clean energy policies and shakes up trade rules, leaving recyclers navigating a volatile political and economic landscape.
Maddie Stone reports for Grist.
In short:
- Ascend Elements is launching the first U.S. facility to produce lithium carbonate from recycled materials, with plans to generate 3,000 metric tons annually, joining only one other domestic source in Nevada.
- Despite Trump’s aggressive reversals of clean energy policies, some battery recyclers say key Department of Energy grants from the Biden era remain active and are helping expand domestic recycling capacity.
- Recyclers are nervous about repeals of Inflation Reduction Act tax credits and new tariffs, especially those that could disrupt exports to partners like South Korea, a critical market for black mass.
Key quote:
“Critical minerals are central to creating a resilient energy economy in the U.S., and resource recovery and recycling companies will continue to play an important role in providing another domestic source of these materials.”
— Ajay Kochhar, CEO of the battery recycling firm Li-Cycle
Why this matters:
Lithium-ion battery recycling offers a vital alternative to mining, a process that scars landscapes, pollutes waterways, and often exploits labor. With electric vehicles and renewable energy storage demanding ever more lithium, cobalt, and nickel, recycling old batteries into new ones reduces dependence on geopolitically fraught and environmentally harmful extraction. China has already cornered the battery recycling market with government support, while the U.S. is only just beginning to scale. But the industry’s success hinges on stable policy and trade relationships. If federal support wanes or tariffs disrupt exports, recyclers may not find enough financial ground to stand on. That threatens the broader clean energy supply chain and undermines efforts to transition from fossil fuels.
Read more: Recycling old batteries could ease pressure on mining for clean energy minerals
