Lohum has signed a black mass offtake agreement with UK-based Recyclus Group, a subsidiary of Technology Minerals.
Under the terms of the agreement, Recyclus will sell black mass produced at its industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Wolverhampton, to Lohum's facility in India.
Black mass contains essential metals including lithium, manganese, nickel, and cobalt that can be reprocessed and sold back into the battery manufacturing supply chain. Recyclus has achieved a significant 47% recycling rate from end-of-life battery to black mass at its recycling facility in Wolverhampton.
Both companies form a closed-loop materials ecosystem, where Recyclus will produce black mass and Lohum will extract critical materials from it with 95% yield and best-in-market 99.5% average purity.
Robin Brundle, Chairman of Technology Minerals and Director of Recyclus, said: "We are delighted to secure our first black mass offtake agreement with Lohum Cleantech, India's largest producer of sustainable energy transition materials. It is a strong endorsement for our battery recycling process and demonstrates the demand for black mass, which contains minerals crucial for the battery manufacturing sector and green transition.
We are seeing increased commercial traction for our recycling solutions, and this deal further underscores our potential to build international trading partners as the world shifts to electrification."
Rajat Verma, Founder and CEO of LOHUM noted, "This partnership is also one of the world's first examples of a circular materials ecosystem consisting of multiple recyclers in the same loop. The black mass recovered by Recyclus will be further refined at LOHUM to yield various critical minerals vital to the energy development and energy security of nations worldwide."
The partnership with Lohum originated from Recyclus’ academic ties with the University of Birmingham. This collaboration led to Recyclus’ involvement in hosting a delegation from India, which included a Minister, academia and industry leaders. In addition, Recyclus being selected to join the UK and Indian Governments' Innovating for Transport and Energy Systems (“ITES”) scheme, aimed at developing trade links and advancing electrification.