Blue Whale Materials (BWM) – a leader in advanced lithium-ion battery recycling – announced it has been selected for negotiation of an award of over $55 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing Program.
The selection is part of BWM’s larger $110 million expansion initiative, which will enable BWM’s state-of-the-art facility in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, to process up to 50,000 tons of battery feedstock annually and produce enough valuable critical minerals to power 100,000+ electric vehicles annually.
These expanded operations will convert 3.5 times more end-of-life batteries and production scrap into Blacksand, a high-purity, dry, mixed-metal precursor that stands apart from the conventional black mass. And this state-of-the-art process recovers up to 98% of the cobalt and nickel in lithium-ion batteries and production scrap. It significantly reduces contaminants such as aluminum, copper, and fluorine, leading to a high metal recovery rate and creating an optimized input for downstream metal refiners and battery material manufacturers.
BWM is a portfolio company of Ara Partners, which is a global private equity firm that is decarbonizing the industrial economy. And by scaling up operations, BWM will further establish itself as a leading supplier of critical minerals for electric vehicle manufacturers, battery producers, and energy storage companies. The expansion is another meaningful step toward creating a closed loop and sustainable feedstock solutions for spent lithium-ion batteries.
The expansion is expected to create 150 permanent jobs and 180 construction jobs, increasing local employment in Bartlesville and contributing to the state’s sustainable growth.
About $3 million of the grant would go towards workforce development and community outreach through expanded partnership programs with the Delaware Tribe of Indians, Blue Star Recyclers, Tri-County Tech, and James Emmett and Company.
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