Blue Whale Materials to launch battery recycling facility in Oklahoma

Blue Whale Materials, a Washington-based lithium-ion battery recycler, has announced its first lithium-ion battery processing facility in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.  

The facility is scheduled to come online in late 2024. Situated within a 35-acre campus, including 150,000 square feet of warehouse space at the Bartlesville Industrial Park, the site encompasses multiple lots designed to facilitate comprehensive battery processing, testing, dismantling and storage. The project is expected to create over 90 new jobs in Bartlesville, the company says.  

“We are pleased to be able to contribute to the economic vitality of the region as we continue to reshape the battery industry,” Blue Whale Materials CEO and Co-founder Robert Kang says. 

The facility will use Blue Whale’s proprietary Blacksand technology to process spent lithium-ion batteries, warranty and recalled batteries and production scrap, including wet and dry cells, into a dry product. Blue Whale says its process removes organics and impurities, separating cobalt, nickel, manganese and lithium from the copper, steel and plastic that create difficulty during the refinement process. Blacksand technology differs from traditional wet processes because batteries are not shredded in water or soaked for long periods of time to discharge. According to Blue Whale, this reduces the wastewater and treatment costs associated with wet processing and results in a dry product that is lighter to ship and easier to process.   

The company says it chose Bartlesville as the location for the facility because of Oklahoma’s probusiness environment and commitment to clean energy, as well as the infrastructure present in the region. Blue Whale says it is eager to become part of the Oklahoma community and begin contributing to the state’s sustainable growth.  

“I am thrilled to welcome Blue Whale Materials to Oklahoma, and I applaud their choice of Bartlesville for their innovative battery recycling facility,” says Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt. “Blue Whale’s investment here aligns with our state’s ‘more of everything’ approach to our nation’s energy needs.  

“I met with their management team during the recruitment process, and they believe Oklahoma is the best state to locate their company. We are ready to partner with them to provide the workforce and talent they need to thrive here,” he adds. 

Blue Whale says it has existing feedstock contracts in place to feed the facility and is working with customers to fulfill their testing and recycling needs.  

Offtake contracts already exist for Blue Whale’s Blacksand material, and the company says it is flexible in shaping solutions for customers interested in getting a returned material for their feedstock batteries or scrap.