Duesenfeld
Duesenfeld GmbH is a German lithium-ion battery recycling company that licenses its patented low-temperature, mechanical-hydrometallurgical process globally and operates its own recycling facility in Wendeburg, serving EV manufacturers, battery cell makers, and recycling plant operators.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersWendeburg, Niedersachsen, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Duesenfeld does
Duesenfeld GmbH is a privately held German company headquartered in Wendeburg, Lower Saxony, that has developed a patented low-temperature recycling process for lithium-ion batteries. The company combines three integrated process stages — patented deep discharge systems, mechanical processing under inert gas with vacuum drying, and hydrometallurgical processing of black mass — to recover cobalt, lithium, nickel, manganese, graphite, and electrolyte solvents in battery-grade quality. The process is engineered to prevent hydrogen fluoride formation and to eliminate the need for exhaust gas scrubbing, which the company claims halves plant and operating costs versus conventional recycling approaches.
Duesenfeld monetizes its technology through a dual go-to-market model. First, it licenses its granted patents to third-party recycling plant operators globally, covering the full process chain of discharge, mechanical processing, and hydrometallurgy. Second, it operates its own recycling facility in Wendeburg, Germany, and sells secondary raw materials, including its trademarked Duesenfeld Black® black mass product, and offers direct recycling of industrial production scrap as a service. A pilot project demonstrated 26% recycled cathode content in certified cells with discharge capacity of 162 mAh g-1 versus 165 mAh g-1 for reference cells, opening a closed-loop service line for cell manufacturers.
The company targets four primary customer segments: electric mobility and EV manufacturers seeking compliant end-of-life recycling, battery cell manufacturers seeking direct integration of recycled materials, industrial battery users requiring compliant disposal, and recycling plant operators licensing the technology. Its stated value proposition rests on regulatory compliance (claiming to already exceed EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542 with >85% recycling efficiency and >98% material recovery), cost reduction through elimination of exhaust gas scrubbing, and environmental benefit (3.17 tons CO2-eq credit per ton of recycled batteries compared to primary extraction).
Duesenfeld firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Duesenfeld
- Legal name
- Duesenfeld GmbH
- Website
- https://duesenfeld.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Duesenfeld GmbH is a German lithium-ion battery recycling company that licenses its patented low-temperature, mechanical-hydrometallurgical process globally and operates its own recycling facility in Wendeburg, serving EV manufacturers, battery cell makers, and recycling plant operators.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Duesenfeld industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Battery Recycling
- NAICS
- Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lithium-ion Battery Recycling (Mechanical, Hydro, Direct Recycling) (EUAIAIAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Battery Recycling & Materials Recovery (Li-ion, LFP, Flow, Lead-Acid) (EUAMALAE), Battery Materials Refining & Re-Manufacturing Feedstocks (Li, Ni, Co, Mn, Graphite Salts) (EUAIAIAJ)
Keywords
Where Duesenfeld is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wendeburg, Niedersachsen
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Duesenfeld business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel
Revenue model
- Patent Licensing: Duesenfeld licenses its patented recycling technologies and processes to other companies. The licensing covers the entire process including discharge technology, mechanical processing, and hydrometallurgy. Licensees benefit from no CO2 generation, no exhaust gas scrubbing requirements, and halved plant and operating costs.
- Recycling Plant Operations: Operating their own lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Wendeburg, Germany. The plant processes batteries and production scrap, recovering valuable materials including cobalt, nickel, lithium, manganese, graphite, and electrolyte solvents.
- Secondary Raw Materials Sales: Production and sale of high-quality secondary raw materials including Duesenfeld Black® black mass. All metals are recovered with high recovery rates in battery-grade quality for new cathode active materials production.
- CO2 Credits: Production of secondary raw materials using the Duesenfeld recycling process results in CO2 credits of 3.17 tons CO2-eq. per ton of recycled batteries compared to primary extraction of raw materials.
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Duesenfeld product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Duesenfeld operates a patented low-temperature lithium-ion battery recycling process combining mechanical processing, vacuum drying, deep discharge, and hydrometallurgy to recover cobalt, nickel, lithium, manganese, graphite, and electrolyte solvents at battery-grade quality. The company recovers over 98% of valuable metals without generating toxic hydrogen fluoride, CO2 emissions, or requiring exhaust gas scrubbing equipment, and monetizes this through its own Wendeburg recycling plant, sales of Duesenfeld Black® secondary raw materials, and patent licensing to other recyclers.
Product overview
Duesenfeld offers a unified, patented lithium-ion battery recycling platform combining three core stages: deep discharge systems, mechanical processing, and hydrometallurgy. The integrated process recovers cobalt, nickel, lithium, manganese, graphite, and electrolyte at battery-grade quality without toxic emissions. Key offerings include Duesenfeld Discharge Systems, Mechanical Processing, Hydrometallurgy, Duesenfeld Black® black mass product, patent licensing, and direct recycling of production scrap. The company operates its own recycling facility in Wendeburg, Germany.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Duesenfeld Black®: Black mass containing electrode active materials and conducting salt, processed through Duesenfeld's hydrometallurgical process to recover cobalt, lithium, nickel, manganese, and graphite
Products and services
- Duesenfeld Recycling Process
Quantifiable outcome
- Recycling efficiency exceeding 85% (vs. regulatory requirements)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Duesenfeld
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Duesenfeld technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Duesenfeld partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Duesenfeld competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Glencore: Global mining and commodity trading giant with significant cobalt, nickel, and copper recycling operations and strategic interest in Li-ion battery recycling. Broad incumbent that competes on material recovery and refining capacity at much greater scale.
- Umicore: Belgian materials technology group with a long-standing battery materials and precious metals refining business that includes Li-ion battery recycling hydrometallurgy. Larger incumbent offering overlapping recycling capabilities as part of a much broader portfolio.
- BASF Battery Materials: German chemical giant with a Black Mass processing prototype and battery materials recycling ambitions under its Catalysts division. Broad incumbent competing on hydrometallurgical recovery of Li, Ni, Co from end-of-life batteries.
Direct peers
- Hydrovolt: Joint venture between Norsk Hydro and Northvolt operating a Li-ion battery recycling plant in Norway with mechanical processing capability. Direct European peer pursuing industrial-scale EV battery recycling with similar target customers.
- Li-Cycle: Publicly listed Li-ion battery recycler using a hub-and-spoke model with mechanical processing (Spokes) feeding central hydrometallurgical facilities (Hubs). Direct competitor in mechanical and hydrometallurgical Li-ion recycling with significant disclosed commercial scale.
- SungEel HiTech: South Korean Li-ion battery recycling specialist with hydrometallurgical processing capacity focused on recovering black mass for Korean cell makers. Direct Asian peer competing on the same battery-grade metal recovery value proposition.
- Redwood Materials: US-based Li-ion battery recycling startup founded by JB Straubel with operations spanning collection, hydrometallurgical processing, and cathode-active material production. Direct competitor targeting the same end-of-life and production-scrap Li-ion recycling market with integrated closed-loop ambitions.
- Fortum Battery Recycling: Finnish energy group operating a Li-ion battery recycling facility in Harjavalta using a hydrometallurgical process to recover cobalt, nickel, lithium, and manganese. Direct European peer with comparable low-CO2 process positioning and EV-battery focus.
Emerging players
- Ascend Elements: US-based recycler specializing in direct cathode-active material recovery from Li-ion black mass using a hydrometallurgical process. Comparable technology focus on closed-loop cathode precursors but operating at a different scale and geography.
- Cyclic Materials: Canadian startup commercializing hydrometallurgical recovery of magnet and battery-grade rare earth and critical metals from end-of-life products. Comparable emerging hydromet-recycling technology player with overlapping target customers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Duesenfeld social profiles
Digital presenceDuesenfeld financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Duesenfeld leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Duesenfeld funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Duesenfeld M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Duesenfeld
What does Duesenfeld do?
Duesenfeld operates a patented low-temperature lithium-ion battery recycling process combining mechanical processing, vacuum drying, deep discharge, and hydrometallurgy to recover cobalt, nickel, lithium, manganese, graphite, and electrolyte solvents at battery-grade quality. The company recovers over 98% of valuable metals without generating toxic hydrogen fluoride, CO2 emissions, or requiring exhaust gas scrubbing equipment, and monetizes this through its own Wendeburg recycling plant, sales of Duesenfeld Black® secondary raw materials, and patent licensing to other recyclers.
Is Duesenfeld a public or private company?
Duesenfeld is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Duesenfeld founded?
Duesenfeld was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Duesenfeld based?
Duesenfeld is headquartered in Wendeburg, Niedersachsen, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Duesenfeld make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Patent Licensing is the primary driver. The others are recycling Plant Operations, secondary Raw Materials Sales and CO2 Credits.
Who are Duesenfeld's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Glencore, Umicore and BASF Battery Materials. Direct peers are Hydrovolt, Li-Cycle, SungEel HiTech, Redwood Materials and Fortum Battery Recycling. Emerging players are Ascend Elements and Cyclic Materials.
Does Duesenfeld have an API?
No public API is recorded for Duesenfeld.
What industry is Duesenfeld in?
Duesenfeld's product category is Battery Recycling. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIAIAF, Lithium-ion Battery Recycling (Mechanical, Hydro, Direct Recycling), with a secondary code of EUAMALAE, Battery Recycling & Materials Recovery (Li-ion, LFP, Flow, Lead-Acid). Its NAICS code is 562920 and its SIC code is 4953.