Blue Whale Materials, a specialist in sustainable li-ion battery recycling, announced its inaugural li-ion battery processing facility in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. This strategic milestone underscores the company’s commitment to advance the domestic li-ion battery supply chain and create U.S .sources of critical minerals for the green energy transition, Blue Whale said.
The facility will be situated within a 35-acre campus including 150,000 square feet of warehouse space at the Bartlesville Industrial Park and encompasses multiple lots designed to facilitate comprehensive battery processing, testing, dismantling, and storage.
“We are pleased to be able to contribute to the economic vitality of the region as we continue to reshape the battery industry,” stated Robert Kang, CEO and co-founder of Blue Whale Materials.
The facility will utilize Blue Whale Materials’ proprietary Blacksand technology that processes spent li-ion batteries and production scrap into a highly concentrated dry product containing cobalt, nickel and lithium as well as copper and aluminum products. Blue Whale Materials’ process removes organics and impurities, ensuring a high-purity material that simplifies downstream refining steps. Unlike traditional wet processes, which can complicate further refining, the dry Blacksand technology streamlines the recycling process and enhances the quality of the recovered materials.
