Black Mass is obtained as the by-product once the battery has been processed for recycling. During the process, recycling plants recover metals such as copper, cobalt, nickel, manganese and lithium from the black mass.
Battery raw materials play a crucial role in sustainable solutions for a cleaner future. New research and manufacturing methods for lithium-ion batteries provide faster-charging speeds, increased storage capacities and longer overall lifespans. Moreover, even as these batteries reach the end of their useful lives, the latest technologies enable the recovery and reuse of their core components.
Lithium-ion batteries are composed of metals, including manganese, lithium, cobalt, and nickel. Once a li-ion battery reaches the end of its shelf-life, the battery pack is collected, dismantled, and shredded. The shredded material is then processed to produce the by-product called “black mass”, which consists of high amounts of precious metals from which materials like cobalt, manganese, lithium and nickel can be reused. These critical materials can then be extracted from the black mass and reused as raw materials in new battery production.
Why is battery recycling important?
The battery recycling process leads to lithium recovery and cobalt recovery in abundance. The ability to recycle these metals and “close the loop” on the battery life cycle will lead to reducing our mining process for new raw materials while simultaneously reducing the carbon footprint required for new mining activities of these renewable resources. As a result, environmentally sustainable and economically viable recycling technologies are becoming an important focus area as the global demand for battery manufacturing is at an all-time high.
LICO is dedicated to the development of this circular economy for Li-ion batteries. Our research and development teams are determined to work on the creation of recycling technologies for lithium-ion batteries. Our primary goal is to “close the loop” with lithium-ion battery recycling for the automobile industry globally. We are committed to delivering innovative solutions for our partners throughout the battery value chain.
The composition of Black Mass is very diversified, just like the composition of Li-Ion batteries varies significantly from one manufacturer to another and from one application to another. Different battery chemistries, such as NMC and LFP batteries, produce Black Mass. Black Mass processing can be a profitable operation.
The Li-ion battery recycling concept is popular in China, Japan and South Korea. There are large treatment facilities for batteries and battery waste, sometimes handling over 40,000 tons per year. Many of these facilities have a modified integrated treatment of Black Mass, mainly using a hydro-metallurgical process for recycling and dismantling these batteries.
Today, there is a lack of coherence between the various approaches to the definition of products coming from the treatment of waste batteries. There is a need to correct the classification of spent EV batteries as a source of active materials to be used in new batteries or new applications. These critical materials can then be extracted from the black mass and reused in new battery production or new products and/or applications. This allows the production of metal hydroxides or salts that can be used as raw materials.
Battery recycling is an important process to reduce the carbon footprint of battery-powered electric vehicles. It is essential to meeting the circular economy-focused policy requirements that we aim to create for our future.
