US recycler achieves 22,000-ton capacity to recover critical minerals from old batteries

Blue Whale Materials (BWM), a domestic lithium-ion battery recycling and critical minerals recovery company, has mechanically completed its full processing line at its Bartlesville facility in Oklahoma. The company began commissioning the line earlier this month and expects the process to continue through the remainder of the year. The expansion will allow BWM to process more end-of-life batteries and production scrap while increasing the supply of recovered critical minerals in the United States. One line handles cells, modules, and packs The completed line can process lithium-ion battery cells, modules, and complete packs within a single integrated operation. It uses BWM’s proprietary Blacksand technology to recover materials from the different forms of battery feedstock. Blacksand is the company’s thermally treated, high-grade black mass containing nickel, cobalt, and lithium recovered from used batteries and manufacturing scrap. These materials can support the domestic critical minerals supply chain. By running cells, modules, and packs through the same processing line, BWM said it can serve domestic customers at scale and expand its production of recovered critical minerals. “Mechanical completion is the milestone that turns on full capabilities,” said Jack Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Blue Whale Materials. “The team built and closed out the full line while the baseline operation kept running and kept shipping. Commissioning is underway, and our focus now is bringing the line to rate and continuing our expansion,” he added. Processing capacity rises by 43 percent The milestone completes the first phase of BWM’s Department of Energy-backed expansion at the Bartlesville facility. The project increases the plant’s annual battery feedstock processing capacity from 14,000 to 20,000 metric tons (22,046 short tons)—a rise of nearly 43 percent. Johnson said the new processing capabilities, combined with the company’s recent fundraising close, provide a platform for its next stage of development. “Coupled with the team’s recent fundraising close, the full line gives us the platform to serve our customers with responsible and safe recycling services and high-quality Blacksand for the domestic supply chain of critical minerals,” he said. The expansion was completed while the facility’s existing operations remained active and continued shipping material, according to the company. Commissioning continues through year-end BWM will now focus on bringing the integrated line up to its expanded production rate. Commissioning is expected to continue through the end of the year as the Bartlesville operation works toward its new annual capacity. “Blue Whale continues to execute with exceptional discipline,” said Cory Steffek, Partner at Ara Partners. “Successfully commissioning an integrated line capable of handling complete battery packs through to individual cells marks the transition from promising technology to essential commercial infrastructure,” he added. Steffek added that reaching 22,046 tons of processing capacity strengthens BWM’s position in the domestic critical minerals supply chain. The completed line advances the company’s stated goal of closing the loop in the lithium-ion battery ecosystem by recovering nickel, cobalt, and lithium from discarded batteries and production waste. Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Atharva is a full-time content writer with a post-graduate degree in media & amp; entertainment and a graduate degree in electronics & telecommunications. He has written in the sports and technology domains respectively. In his leisure time, Atharva loves learning about digital marketing and watching soccer matches. His main goal behind joining Interesting Engineering is to learn more about how the recent technological advancements are helping human beings on both societal and individual levels in their daily lives.