Blue Whale Materials Commissions Baseline Plant in Bartlesville to Advance US Battery Recycling Expansion
BARTLESVILLE, Okla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Blue Whale Materials (BWM), a leader in sustainable lithium-ion battery recycling and critical minerals supply chain development, today announced the commissioning of its baseline black mass production facility in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Once commissioning is complete, the plant will be capable of processing up to 14,000 tonnes of battery manufacturing scrap annually, producing Blacksand™ — BWM’s proprietary, high-purity black mass containing cobalt, nickel and lithium.
This milestone marks another significant step toward advancing domestic critical mineral production. BWM is continuing construction on its full battery recycling process—spanning cells to packs—which is on track to be operational in Q1 2026.
Robert Kang, Co-Founder and CEO of Blue Whale Materials, said:
Today marks a pivotal achievement for Blue Whale Materials and for the U.S. critical minerals ecosystem,
“Commissioning this baseline black mass plant demonstrates our technological leadership in recovering vital battery-grade metals. It also paves the way for our upcoming full recycling system, which will further strengthen domestic battery supply chains and bring sustainable high-quality jobs to communities like Bartlesville.”
BWM’s Bartlesville facility produces its high quality Blacksand™, an advanced, dry, mixed-metal precursor containing cobalt, nickel, and lithium, with low impurities. The facility received a U.S. Department of Energy grant in the amount of more than $55 million to support a four-year expansion project expected to add processing capacity up to 50,000 tons per year once complete.
Blue Whale Materials complements its recycling offerings with full-service collection, logistics and sorting services and conducts testing and grading of end-of-life batteries for remanufacturing and second life applications at its Bartlesville facility.
David Fauvre, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Blue Whale Materials, said:
Producing our high quality Blacksand™ here in the US is a huge step for Blue Whale Materials to produce needed critical minerals for the domestic supply chain and to offer complete battery life-cycle solutions for our customers,
Cory Steffek, Partner at Ara Partners, said:
Ara Partners is proud to support Blue Whale Materials as it achieves this key operational milestone,
“Commissioning the baseline black mass line underscores BWM’s ability to deliver practical, scalable solutions for domestic critical mineral recovery. Combined with the upcoming full-stack battery recycling capability, this progress strengthens the industrial resilience and sustainability of U.S. supply chains.”
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Blue Whale Materials Commissions Baseline Plant in Bartlesville to Advance US Battery Recycling Expansion, source
