A slight rise in offers for black mass payables were heard in South Korea this week, but a wide bid-offer gap persisted in the market, according to sources

Holidays in key Asian black mass trading centers such as China and South Korea have limited purchasing over the last week but suppliers are holding their offers at firm levels, sources told Fastmarkets

There is a lot of additional activity in the United States when it comes to electric vehicle (EV) production and this will be supportive of black mass recycling, critical material production and active battery manufacturing that is needed to support the EV industry

The future of Glencore and Li-Cycle’s major Italian hub for the recycling of key battery metals could be under threat after a request to fast-track the project was rejected by the regional government of Sardinia, southern Italy, according to a Glencore spokesperson

The relatively high costs for black mass material meant that some recyclers in China and Southeast Asia were turning away from purchases of such powders in favor of other options

France-based metallurgy firm Eramet and utility company Suez announced this week that they will begin the recycling of electric vehicle (EV) batteries at a site in Dunkirk, northern France, beginning in 2025

Delegates at Fastmarkets’ European Battery Raw Materials Conference in Amsterdam, held September 18-20, discussed their expectations and the likely developments in the global battery raw materials markets. Here are five key takeaways

Demand for black mass in key Asian import markets has faced further pressure in the past week amid weakening battery metals prices which are leaving consumers of the shredded battery powder with poor margins, sources said

Fastmarkets has launched eight new black mass payable assessments covering nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) and nickel cobalt aluminium (NCA) material in Europe and Southeast Asia, along with lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) black mass in South Korea and Europe on Wednesday September 20.

Read more about reinforcing our commitment to creating transparency in the battery raw materials market