Company

Solid Basis for Sustainable Innovations

CellCircle was founded in 2022 as a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC and is based in Würzburg, Germany. The company's core competencies are its innovative and particularly efficient battery recycling and the associated sale of ready-to-use battery materials.

The company builds on more than 10 years of application-oriented research and development work by “EIT Award” winner Dr. Andreas Bittner, which received – amongst others – the “Bavarian Environmental Award”. It is also based on a strong interdisciplinary team with many years of experience in the battery and automotive industries.

In 2024, CellCircle was awarded with the 1^st place prize in the international start-up competition “Energy Start-up Bavaria”.

"The efficient recovery of functional battery materials must become a matter of course in the future."

A sustainable circular economy is the key to greater economic strength and autonomy. With innovative processes, CellCircle is a pioneer for the industrial implementation of direct battery recycling.

— Dr. Andreas Bittner

Team and Technology

The team led by CellCircle founder Dr. Andreas Bittner includes a wide variety of experts who contribute their expert knowledge from industry and research. The team's experience includes the establishment of an industrial pilot production facility for battery cells, the creation of a renowned Fraunhofer institution for recycling and the establishment of an international non-profit organization along the battery value chain.

CellCircle's game-changing recycling technology includes particularly gentle dismantling, separation and refining processes. It generates functional materials that can be used directly in battery cell production and does not require the use of strong acids or complex process steps outside Europe.

The underlying technology was completely transferred to CellCircle by the parent institute Fraunhofer ISC and internationally filed for patent.