cylib

RWTH Aachen spin-off recovering lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt and manganese from EV batteries with a water-based process; building a plant in Chempark Dormagen and a pre-processing hub in Bavaria.

Sector: Energy & Climate Tech
Headquarters: Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia
Founded: 2022
Ownership: Private, venture-backed
Known for: OLiC water-based recycling process
Website: www.cylib.de
Topics: battery recycling lithium circular economy RWTH spin-off critical raw materials

What they do

cylib recycles end-of-life electric vehicle batteries and turns them back into battery-grade raw materials. Batteries are discharged, dismantled and shredded into so-called black mass, which is then processed chemically. cylib's proprietary OLiC process, developed from research at RWTH Aachen University, is water-based and aims to recover lithium, graphite, cobalt, nickel and manganese, where many established recyclers recover only the most valuable metals. The company reports recovery rates above 90 per cent for critical materials, a figure demonstrated so far on its Aachen pilot line.

Why it matters

Europe's battery industry depends on imported lithium and graphite, and the EU Batteries Regulation sets rising recycled-content requirements. Graphite recovery in particular is uncommon, and graphite supply is heavily concentrated in China. cylib broke ground in 2024 at Chempark Dormagen near Düsseldorf on what was reported by heise as Europe's largest EV battery recycling plant, with a planned capacity of about 30,000 tonnes of batteries a year in its first stage. In July 2026 it bought an existing battery pre-processing facility in Wernberg-Köblitz, Bavaria, out of an insolvency, with capacity of up to 10,000 tonnes a year and a planned restart in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to permits.

Products to know

OLiC hydrometallurgy: the core water-based process.
Dormagen plant: hydrometallurgical refining of black mass into battery materials.
Bavarian hub: discharge, dismantling and mechanical treatment feeding Dormagen.

The German angle

cylib was founded in Aachen in 2022 by Lilian Schwich, Paul Sabarny and Gideon Schwich. In 2024 it raised a 55 million euro Series A led by Porsche Ventures and Bosch Ventures, then reported as the largest round for a European battery recycler. In 2025 it secured a 26.1 million euro EU grant from regional development and Just Transition funds for the Dormagen site, money designed to help the Rhineland's shift away from lignite. The bet is that the German car industry will want a domestic source of recycled material, and that cylib can scale before Asian recyclers set up in Europe.

Sources

Stories

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