Australian producer Cobalt Blue will primarily use its Broken Hill Technology Centre (BHTC) to test the viability of black mass recycling as a source of feedstock for its Kwinana cobalt refinery from 2026.
Cobalt Blue has run test programmes relating to black mass throughout 2025, a company spokesperson told Argus on 18 November. BHTC will effectively become dedicated to black mass from early next year, they added.
The company plans to conduct black mass bench tests before producing larger quantities of cobalt metal, nickel hydroxide, and manganese sulphate from the material, it told investors.
Cobalt Blue has signed a non-binding letter of intent with global trading firm Hartree for purchase of cobalt metal produced from black mass. The companies have not discussed volumes at this stage, a Cobalt Blue spokesperson said. Hartree will consider buying cobalt metal if it aligns with international specifications, they added.
Cobalt Blue aims to use materials recycled from black mass to support its Kwinana refinery, which will produce 3,000 t/yr cobalt sulphate and 500 t/yr nickel metal from 2027.
Global trader Glencore will provide Cobalt Blue with 50pc of the plant's feedstock for three years after it opens.
Cobalt Blue will finalise offtake deals with buyers in Japan, France, and the US over the next three months to support the refinery, it told investors on 14 November.
The company created BHTC to test and optimise its flowsheets for the Broken Hill Cobalt Project and Kwinana cobalt refinery. But it is unlikely to further progress the Broken Hill project until cobalt prices rise. It has also largely finished test work for the refinery, the company told investors.
Cobalt Blue's increased interest in black mass recycling comes just over one month after the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) lifted a months-long ban on cobalt exports.
DRC producers account for 76pc of global cobalt feedstock supply. The ban led to a roughly 2.5 fold increase in Argus' 30pc grade cobalt hydroxide cif China price from late February to mid-September.
