• cylib acquires pre-processing facility in Wernberg-Köblitz, Bavaria, with an annual capacity of up to 10,000 metric tons of end-of-life EV batteries
• Acquisition strengthens cylib's end-to-end recycling capabilities: from end-of-life battery collection and mechanical processing in Bavaria to raw material recovery in Dormagen
• Operations are expected to begin in Q4 2026, delivering immediate processing capability ahead of the ramp-up of cylib's hydrometallurgical plant in Dormagen

Aachen, Germany, 21 July 2026 – cylib, one of Europe's leading battery recycling companies, has acquired a discharging, disassembly, and mechanical processing facility in Wernberg-Köblitz, Bavaria, with an annual capacity of up to 10,000 metric tons of end-of-life EV batteries. The acquisition, completed through insolvency proceedings, covers the processing line, building, and property. cylib is bringing a previously decommissioned site back into operation under its own standards and in close coordination with Bavarian authorities. cylib assumes full operational, environmental, and safety responsibility for the site from the moment it takes ownership. The site is expected to begin operations in Q4 2026, subject to the required approval under the German Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG).

"cylib is built on a clear conviction: battery recycling has to be end-to-end, from the end-of-life battery to the high-quality critical raw material," said Dr. Lilian Schwich, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of cylib. "In our pilot plant we have demonstrated those end-to-end capabilities. In Dormagen we are building the high-quality material recovery end. With this acquisition we are now adding the end-of-life processing capability at large scale."

Securing battery volumes at the source

With this facility, cylib secures a strategic position at the center of Germany's automotive belt, the largest automotive market in Europe, with direct access to major OEM production sites and the battery supply chains in southern Germany and Central Europe.

The facility processes end-of-life EV batteries into black mass, which feeds directly into cylib's hydrometallurgical plant currently under construction in Dormagen, North Rhine-Westphalia. There, the black mass is refined into high-quality critical raw materials, including lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. This makes cylib one of the few companies in Europe covering the entire chain from end-of-life battery to recovered critical material within a single company.

The Bavarian site is the first node in cylib's collection and pre-processing network, securing the battery volumes that the Dormagen facility will require. The Bavarian acquisition operationalizes cylib's end-to-end vision at large scale.

"Building large-scale processing capacity allows us to offer our customers and partners, including OEMs, tier-one suppliers, and battery manufacturers, even greater value and a more comprehensive service," said Dr. Gideon Schwich, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of cylib. "This acquisition is another step forward on our long-term roadmap. Bringing this site back into responsible operation is a task our team is fully committed to."

Keeping critical materials in Europe

The demand for responsible, large-scale battery recycling in Europe is growing faster than the infrastructure to support it. Europe's end-of-life EV battery volumes are projected to more than triple between 2030 and 2035, according to the International Energy Agency's Global EV Outlook 2026.

By deliberately repurposing an existing industrial site, cylib takes a circularity-first approach: upgrading existing infrastructure rather than developing new land reduces both the environmental footprint of scaling and the time to commissioning. With its integrated model connecting Bavaria to Dormagen, cylib keeps critical materials from European end-of-life batteries firmly within European supply chains and strengthens Europe's independence from raw material imports.

cylib expects to begin receiving material for recycling on an industrial scale in Q4 2026, subject to regulatory approval. The ramp-up will be carried out in collaboration with authorities, equipment manufacturers, and customers. Full capacity is expected by the end of 2027.

About cylib

cylib is a holistic and sustainable battery recycling company founded in 2022 in Aachen, Germany, by Dr. Lilian Schwich, Paul Sabarny, and Dr. Gideon Schwich. The company emerged from research conducted at RWTH Aachen University to produce advanced materials for sustainable batteries and resilient European value chains. cylib operates an integrated network across Germany: research and development at the Aachen headquarters, hydrometallurgical processing in Dormagen (under construction), and mechanical processing in Bavaria.

The water-based OLiC (Optimized Lithium and Graphite Recovery) technology efficiently recovers raw materials from battery packs, black mass, or production scrap, achieving over 90% recovery rates for lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, and manganese with an 80% reduced carbon footprint compared to primary extraction, enabling true material circularity.