Blue Whale Materials Commissions Baseline Plant in Bartlesville to Advance U.S. Battery Recycling Expansion

BARTLESVILLE, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blue Whale Materials (BWM), a leader in sustainable lithium-ion battery recycling and critical minerals supply chain development, today announced the commissioning of its baseline black mass production facility in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Once commissioning is complete, the plant will be capable of processing up to 14,000 tonnes of battery manufacturing scrap annually, producing Blacksand™ — BWM’s proprietary, high-purity black mass containing cobalt, nickel and lithium.

This milestone marks another significant step toward advancing domestic critical mineral production. BWM is continuing construction on its full battery recycling process—spanning cells to packs—which is on track to be operational in Q1 2026.

“Today marks a pivotal achievement for Blue Whale Materials and for the U.S. critical minerals ecosystem,” said Robert Kang, Co-Founder and CEO of Blue Whale Materials. “Commissioning this baseline black mass plant demonstrates our technological leadership in recovering vital battery-grade metals. It also paves the way for our upcoming full recycling system, which will further strengthen domestic battery supply chains and bring sustainable high-quality jobs to communities like Bartlesville.”

BWM’s Bartlesville facility produces its high quality Blacksand™, an advanced, dry, mixed-metal precursor containing cobalt, nickel, and lithium, with low impurities. The facility received a U.S. Department of Energy grant in the amount of more than $55 million to support a four-year expansion project expected to add processing capacity up to 50,000 tons per year once complete.

Blue Whale Materials complements its recycling offerings with full-service collection, logistics and sorting services and conducts testing and grading of end-of-life batteries for remanufacturing and second life applications at its Bartlesville facility.

“Producing our high quality Blacksand™ here in the US is a huge step for Blue Whale Materials to produce needed critical minerals for the domestic supply chain and to offer complete battery life-cycle solutions for our customers,” said David Fauvre, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Blue Whale Materials.

“Ara Partners is proud to support Blue Whale Materials as it achieves this key operational milestone,” said Cory Steffek, Partner at Ara Partners. “Commissioning the baseline black mass line underscores BWM’s ability to deliver practical, scalable solutions for domestic critical mineral recovery. Combined with the upcoming full-stack battery recycling capability, this progress strengthens the industrial resilience and sustainability of U.S. supply chains.”

Key Milestones & Strategic Outlook

Milestone	Detail
Baseline Commissioning	Bartlesville facility now commissioning at 14,000 tonnes/year black mass production.
Full-Process Buildout	Cells to packs recycling capability under construction; expected online in Q1 2026.
DOE Grant & Expansion Plans	Over $55 M in DOE funding awarded to support up to 50,000 tonnes/year processing expansion; part of a four-year, $110 M project.
Technology Advantage	Blacksand™ delivers high-purity, low-impurity feedstock optimized for hydrometallurgical refining.
Supply Chain Impact	Strengthens U.S. domestic sourcing of critical battery minerals, aligning with federal infrastructure and energy security goals.

About Blue Whale Materials
Blue Whale Materials is an industry-leading battery recycling company focused on closing the loop in the lithium-ion battery ecosystem. With proprietary technology, BWM converts spent cells, modules, packs and production scrap into high-grade black mass optimized for efficient refining and reuse in new battery production. Its Bartlesville, Oklahoma facility serves as the cornerstone of its rapidly expanding domestic strategy. Blue Whale Materials is a portfolio company of Ara Partners. Learn more at bluewhalematerials.com.

About Ara Partners
Ara Partners is a global private equity and infrastructure investment firm focused on industrial decarbonization. Founded in 2017, Ara Partners seeks to build and scale companies with significant decarbonization impact across the industrial and manufacturing, chemicals and materials, energy efficiency and green fuels, and food and agriculture sectors. The company operates from offices in Houston, Boston, Washington D.C., and Dublin. Ara Partners closed its third private equity fund in December 2023 with over $2.8 billion in capital commitments. As of June 30, 2025, Ara Partners had approximately $6.6 billion of assets under management. For more information, visit arapartners.com.