Cobalt Blue is advancing testwork to assess the Kwinana Cobalt Refinery’s ability to process battery black mass, as an emerging feedstock derived from recycled batteries and e-waste.

The current program aims to scale up from successful bench-scale tests to a fully continuous processing circuit capable of producing cobalt metal, nickel hydroxide, manganese sulphate and other saleable products.

Should battery black mass prove to be a technically and commercially viable feedstock option for the refinery, Cobalt Blue intends to incorporate this material into the Kwinana Cobalt Refinery’s long-term operating strategy. 

This would enhance feedstock flexibility, support supply resilience and position the refinery as the gateway for both mined and recycled Australian cobalt units.

Beyond cobalt, recycled lithium-ion batteries contain valuable materials including lithium, manganese, nickel, graphite, copper and zinc.

Evaluating recovery pathways for these materials has the potential to further strengthen project economics and support the broader development of  battery recycling capability.