Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Consumer Electronics Battery Recycling, Reprocessing, and Battery Collection | DE FOA 0002897

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the BIL Consumer Electronics Battery Recycling, Reprocessing, and Battery Collection grant (DE-FOA-0002897)?

This is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding opportunity under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) focused on improving how consumer batteries are collected, recycled, and reprocessed in the United States. It targets end-of-life batteries from everyday electronics and battery-containing devices, with the goal of increasing recovery and reuse of critical materials that can support domestic supply chains for materials used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

Which agency is offering and administering this funding opportunity?

The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and is administered through the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).

What is the main purpose of this grant program?

The central purpose is to strengthen domestic capacity to recover and reuse critical materials from consumer batteries by capturing more end-of-life batteries and moving them into reliable recycling and reprocessing pathways. This is positioned as a supply-chain and circular-economy investment that helps ensure more domestically available critical materials for future manufacturing needs, including EV battery production.

What funding area and CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

This opportunity sits within DOE’s energy funding area and is associated with CFDA 81.086.

What type of funding instrument is used?

The funding instrument is a grant, and it is offered under a discretionary program.

What are the three main goals of the program?

The program is designed around three connected goals: (1) increase participation by consumers in existing battery recycling programs, (2) improve the economics of consumer battery recycling so it can be financially viable at scale, and (3) expand the number and reach of collection, recycling, and reprocessing programs, including state and local efforts and more accessible collection points such as retail locations.

Why does the program focus on consumer participation in recycling?

The FOA recognizes that many consumer batteries are not recycled because they are stored at home, disposed of improperly, or not recycled due to inconvenience, lack of awareness, or confusion about where and how to recycle. Projects that reduce friction and improve clarity for consumers align with this goal.

What does "improve the economics of consumer battery recycling" mean in this context?

It means supporting research, development, and demonstration (RD and D) activities that can lower costs, improve recovery yields, and develop innovative and practical approaches that increase reuse and recycling rates, helping make recycling financially viable and scalable.

What kinds of collection expansion does the FOA emphasize?

The FOA emphasizes expanding collection, recycling, and reprocessing programs by establishing or enhancing state and local efforts and increasing accessible collection points, including at retail locations.

What types of projects are supported under this opportunity?

The opportunity supports projects that strengthen the pathway from collection to processing for consumer electronics batteries and devices that contain batteries. Examples mentioned include improving collection and aggregation, designing better take-back or drop-off systems, piloting new approaches for safe handling and sorting of different battery chemistries, and advancing recycling and reprocessing techniques that increase material recovery.

Does the FOA support work beyond collection, such as processing and reprocessing?

Yes. The FOA supports improvements across the full pathway from collection through recycling and reprocessing, including techniques and systems that increase recovery of usable material outputs.

Why are consumer batteries a special focus compared with industrial battery streams?

Consumer batteries are often dispersed and heterogeneous, meaning they come from many sources and involve different battery types and chemistries. This makes logistics, consolidation, handling, sorting, and processing more complex than more uniform industrial streams. The FOA targets interventions that make this fragmented feedstock easier and cheaper to capture, consolidate, and process into usable outputs.

What kinds of batteries or devices are included?

The FOA focuses on consumer electronics batteries and battery-containing devices from everyday use, particularly end-of-life batteries that need to be captured and directed into recycling and reprocessing pathways.

How does this opportunity relate to EV batteries and critical materials?

The program is intended to help recover and reuse critical materials from consumer batteries in ways that support a stronger U.S. supply chain for critical minerals and materials needed for EV battery production. In other words, improving consumer battery recycling is part of building a domestic pipeline of recovered materials.

Is eligibility limited to certain applicant types?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to applicants, subject to any specific clarifications in the full announcement’s eligibility section.

How many awards were expected?

The DOE anticipated an expected 70 awards under this funding opportunity.

What is the maximum award amount?

The award ceiling is listed as up to $10,000,000 per award.

When was the FOA created?

The FOA was created on June 12, 2023.

When did the FOA originally close?

The FOA originally closed on November 29, 2023.

What bottlenecks in consumer battery recycling is this program trying to address?

The FOA is structured to address common bottlenecks by increasing consumer participation, improving financial viability and recovery performance through RD and D, and expanding collection and processing infrastructure so batteries are captured and routed into reliable recycling and reprocessing systems.

What does success look like for projects funded by this opportunity?

Based on the stated goals, success is tied to higher collection volumes, less friction for consumers, stronger and more accessible collection networks (including state/local and retail), improved recovery and recycling performance, and more stable, economically viable recycling systems that contribute usable material outputs to domestic supply chains.