HC Starck Tungsten receives €60M funding for battery black mass recycling
April 8, 2025
HC Starck Tungsten, based in Goslar, Germany, has announced that it is set to receive €60 million in funding from the German federal government and the state government of Lower Saxony to support the recycling of battery black mass, which consists of the ground-up components of used lithium-ion batteries after the casing has been removed.
The company’s recycling process, for which six patent applications have been filed, is said to achieve a significantly better raw material yield compared to established methods, while consuming considerably fewer auxiliary materials and energy. It also produces only a tenth of the CO2 emissions that would be generated by mining primary lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese.
“This comprehensive funding commitment is an important step towards the industrial use of our innovative technology for the recycling of black mass,” stated Dr Hady Seyeda, CEO of HC Starck Tungsten. “We are delighted that the federal and state governments are supporting the implementation of our concept in such a concrete way.”
For an industrial-scale application, HC Starck Tungsten is considering the construction of a plant in the Oker Metallurgical Park with an investment volume of around €340 million. The corresponding funding application was also supported by parent company Mitsubishi Materials Corporation.
If the project steps go according to plan, the two-year construction work could begin in the first half of 2027. The target recycling capacity is around 20,000 tons of black mass per year, comparable to the battery content of around 100,000 small electric cars.
Regional, national and European sustainability
The funds – 70% of which are being provided by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and 30% by the state of Lower Saxony – are being awarded as part of the EU directive on the ‘resilience and sustainability of the battery cell production ecosystem.’ The investment is expected to help establish and expand production capacities along the battery value chain in Germany and the European Union, secure employment and value creation in Germany and ultimately enable climate-friendly mass production of sustainably produced battery cells in Europe.
At regional level, the funding decision is hoped to strengthen Goslar’s position as a locale for innovation, business, and production, to mitigate the negative effects of structural change and to promote the operation of particularly sustainable industrial plants.
Lower Saxony’s Economics Minister Olaf Lies explained, “Southern Lower Saxony and Goslar in particular have a strong tradition in ore mining and metal processing. The state of Lower Saxony has long been supporting the region in becoming internationally competitive in the field of recycling and optimising the value chains in the recycling of lithium-ion batteries. The funding of HC Starck Tungsten is a milestone for the environmentally friendly recycling of black mass on an industrial scale and thus makes an important contribution to securing raw materials and safeguarding industrial jobs.”
