Swiss battery recycler Librec has inaugurated its first industrial-scale recycling plant for electric vehicle (EV) batteries in Biberist, Solothurn, aiming to process up to 12,000 tons of battery material annually.
The new plant, constructed on the grounds of a former paper mill, claims a record-setting recovery rate of more than 97% and is designed to handle both used EV batteries and rejects from battery production. Librec plans to run the facility in three shifts at full capacity, with a third of its energy requirements met by recovered electricity from discharged batteries and the remainder supplied by rooftop solar power.
“We are receiving very good feedback on our central recyclate, the so-called black mass, and can assume that we are currently producing the best black mass in Europe at the most attractive conditions and with maximum sustainability,” said Jodok Reinhardt, Managing Director of Librec.
After being fully discharged, batteries are dismantled, shredded, and dried. The resulting black mass—a powder rich in critical materials such as cobalt, lithium, nickel, copper, and aluminium—can be reused in battery production. Currently, most of Europe’s black mass is exported to China and Southeast Asia due to limited regional processing capacity.
The company’s longer-term strategy includes international expansion. “Next, we want to consolidate our operations in Biberist and maximise capacity utilisation. Based on this experience, we will examine attractive partners for cooperation abroad and also our own projects abroad,” said Jürg Steiger, Chairman of Librec’s Board of Directors.
Librec shares the Biberist site with Libattion, which recently launched its own upcycling facility for EV batteries, signalling the location’s growing importance in Europe’s battery circular economy.