Metal Recycling Offers Answer to Rising Copper, Battery Needs

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Written by Will Ploch, Assistant Editor-in-Chief for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Global demand is rising for recycled metals, with copper materials and lithium-ion batteries among those most needed. While China dominates the market, the U.S. is home to several key projects.

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Copper Among Biggest Drivers

The rapid shifts in technological development, from the growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) to the need for data-center components, is fueling a global interest in metals recycling. China leads the world in related investments by a wide margin, but the U.S. is home to several notable projects, particularly for the recycling of copper materials. Industrial Info Resources is tracking nearly 500 active and proposed metal-recycling projects worldwide, totaling more than US$45 billion of investment, with the U.S. accounting for nearly US$5 billion.

According to Industrial Info Resources data, China accounts for about 80% of investment at metal-recycling facilities worldwide, with the U.S. accounting for nearly 11%. China also accounts for more than 94% of the US$14.6 billion worth of projects deemed by Industrial Info Resources as having a high likelihood (81% or more) of beginning construction as scheduled within the next 12 months, with the U.S. making up only 3.1%.

Strong demand from the data-center and automotive markets are keeping global copper prices at elevated levels, and interest is growing in technology that supports the recycling of processed copper. Some of the U.S. projects under construction indicate a growing interest in this field: Aurubis Richmond LLC, a subsidiary of German firm Aurubis AG, expects to finish construction later this year on an expansion of its copper scrap recycling and processing plant in Augusta, Georgia. Under construction since 2022, the additional capacity is expected to double the plant's output to 70,000 tons per year, with demand fueled by data centers and EVs.

"American industry alone currently needs about 1.8 million tons of copper per year, and experts estimate that demand will rise nearly 30% in the next five years," Aurubis said in a September 2025 press release announcing its project. "As of now, the U.S. imports about half of the copper it processes. Multi-metal recycling can close this gap quickly."

Industrial Info Resources offers more information on the Augusta project in its Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Plant and Project databases, where readers can find details--including key contacts, investment values and necessary equipment--in a plant profile and project report.

China's copper-recycling market, meanwhile, is experiencing a regional shortage of copper scrap raw materials, which has fueled a sustained rally in copper prices, according to Shanghai Metals Market. Both state-owned and private companies across China are investing in this area; among the latter is Beiliu Guitong Equity Investment Partnership Enterprise, which is preparing to begin construction this summer on its secondary copper smelter in Yulin, Guangxi. The project is expected to produce anode copper from scrap copper waste; readers can learn more from a detailed plant profile and project report.

By the Numbers

• More than US$45 billion: Total global investment in active and proposed metal-recycling projects
• About 80%: China's share of the investment in metal-recycling facilities worldwide
• About 1.8 million tons: Estimated need per year for copper in the U.S.

EV Batteries Fuel Projects

Growing adoption of EVs is driving a boom in U.S.-based lithium-ion battery recycling, which accounts for most of the investment in U.S.-based metal-recycling projects under construction. Among the major investors is Cirba Solutions, a subsidiary of environmental-services and heavy-construction firm The Heritage Group, which has two projects set to be completed this year: a lithium-ion battery-recycling plant in Columbia, South Carolina, and an expansion of its battery-recycling campus in Lancaster, Ohio.

The new plant in South Carolina is expected to produce up to 500,000 EV batteries per year, while the Ohio expansion is expected to boost output by more than 250,000 per year. More details are available in detailed reports on the South Carolina and Ohio projects.

Other developers in this field include Ara Partners, which is proposing an expansion of its lithium-ion battery-recycling plant in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The first phase of the facility, which completed construction in December, can process 14,000 tons per year of battery materials; the expansion is designed to elevate it to 50,000 tons per year. Readers can learn more from a plant profile and detailed reports on the project's first and second phases.

The Industrial Info Resources GMI Project and Plant databases offer a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and a full list of related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources also offers a full list of reports for metal-recycling projects worldwide, and a full list of reports for those likely to begin construction in the next 12 months.

Key Takeaways

• China leads the world in related investments by a wide margin, but the U.S. is home to several notable projects.
• China's copper-recycling market is experiencing a regional shortage of copper scrap raw materials, which is boosting prices.
• Lithium-ion battery recycling accounts for most of the U.S.-based metal-recycling projects under construction.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news, and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing, and energy-related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified, and verified plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).