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

China’s spot lithium carbonate prices rebounded in the week to Thursday October 12 due to support from a surge in the lithium carbonate futures contract on Guangzhou Futures Exchange (GFEX), the first gain since the end of August, sources said

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

Australia-based Sunrise Energy Metals is searching for a location in the US to build a nickel-cobalt refinery, the company confirmed to Fastmarkets

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

Uncertainty over growing bullish sentiment in the cobalt market is among the main conversation topics likely to feature in meetings throughout LME Week, which runs from October 9-13

Investment for new projects outside of China and acceptance that synthetic graphite will continue to play a role in supplying the anode battery sector are key for the development of the nascent European graphite market, according to panelists at Fastmarkets’ European Battery Raw Materials conference in Amsterdam

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