Battery Waste Gets a Second Life in Australia

Cobalt Blue and Ecocycle aim to reclaim battery metals and reduce reliance on imported materials 

11 Jan 2025

Australia is stepping up efforts to strengthen its clean energy supply chain by recovering key minerals from used batteries. Cobalt Blue and Ecocycle have entered a partnership to extract critical metals such as cobalt and nickel from spent lithium-ion batteries processed domestically.

The collaboration focuses on extracting metals from “black mass,” the residue left after battery dismantling. With rising global demand for energy storage, the companies say the venture will support a circular economy while reducing Australia's dependency on foreign refining facilities.

Cobalt Blue will provide proprietary technology to extract pure metals from complex waste. Ecocycle, one of the country’s largest battery recyclers, will manage the collection and processing of batteries across its national network.

“This is about turning a growing environmental problem into a national advantage,” said Joe Kaderavek, chief executive of Cobalt Blue. “We envision an Australia that not only mines but also masters the refining and recycling of critical minerals.”

The initiative aligns with the federal government’s Critical Minerals Strategy, which prioritises domestic solutions to secure clean energy inputs. The companies may also seek funding from public agencies such as the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Critical Minerals Facilitation Office.

However, challenges remain. Regulatory uncertainty over hazardous waste and evolving standards for recycled material may hinder early progress. Both firms have signalled their readiness to scale operations should pilot results prove successful.

Australia is rich in raw materials but has historically exported them for overseas processing. The new initiative seeks to change that by building local capacity for both recovery and refining, offering potential strategic advantages in a tense geopolitical environment.