Recycling policy and black mass regulation have been on the minds of multiple governments in 2023. Shredding battery scrap to produce black mass, a material containing battery metals, and processing that into battery-grade materials is key to creating a circular economy. There is a rising quantity of battery scrap from gigafactory waste and end-of-life electric […]
> The battery recycling industries in both Europe and North America are skewed towards black mass production through battery waste pretreatment, leading critical minerals to leak into Asia where there is an abundance of black mass refining capacity, primarily in the form of hydrometallurgy. Although both recycling industries are at similar levels of maturity, there are […]
> Benchmark Week 2025 kicked off in LA on Tuesday, with policy makers, industry leaders, and experts from Benchmark discussing the key topics impacting energy transition supply chains in 2025. From across the first day’s sessions three key takeaways emerged: 1. Supply chains are a national security priority now more than ever “These are not just […]
> Since electric vehicles (EVs) began moving into mass adoption, questions have persisted about what happens to their batteries at the end of life (EoL). Recycling remains the obvious answer, but there is a growing interest exploring the intermediate step of giving used EV batteries a “second life” in stationary energy storage before they head to the […]
> The mining industry accounted for ~5% of global carbon emissions last year, with roughly half originating from mining vehicles. Electrifying mine sites offers an opportunity for miners to cut emissions while also reducing costs. With 30%–50% of a mine’s energy costs attributed to diesel, replacing internal combustion fleets can deliver significant savings. “Mining electrification is […]
> BMW announced this week a long-term partnership with South Korean battery recycler SK tes, a subsidiary of SK Ecoplant, in which the automaker will send scrap batteries to SK tes’ plant in Rotterdam, Netherlands. However, the Rotterdam plant only pretreats battery scrap, producing black mass—the material containing critical battery minerals such as lithium, nickel and […]
> Benchmark Mineral Intelligence announced today that it has started a formal public consultation on changes to its Black Mass Price Assessment Methodology. Change in frequency of publication Following feedback and discussion with a number of market participants, Benchmark proposes to change the frequency of its Black Mass Price Assessment publication from monthly to alternate Thursdays […]
> China has postponed the implementation of its expanded rare earth export controls announced in early October following high-level US-China trade negotiations in South Korea this week. It marks a temporary easing in what had become an escalating front in the tit-for-tat US–China trade confrontation. The announcement follows extensive economic and trade consultations in Kuala Lumpur, […]
> Throughout June over two million power banks have been recalled worldwide after major cell supplier Amprius had its 3C (China Compulsory Certification) certification suspended by China’s “National Certification and Accreditation Administration”. The reason for the suspension remains undisclosed but the recalls cite risks of fire and burn hazards. With over two million power banks already […]