BASF starts commercial operation of black mass plant 

Black mass production is a key step in the battery recycling process and is based on mechanical treatment of the batteries. The Black Mass contains high amounts of key metals used to produce cathode active materials (CAM): lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. These metals can be chemically recovered and used to produce new CAM, enabling circularity and reducing the carbon footprint compared to using only primary raw materials.

In addition to the new Black Mass production, BASF also operates in Schwarzheide Europe’s first fully automated CAM production, a prototype metal refinery for battery recycling, and one of Europe’s largest Black Mass storage facilities.