Blue Whale Materials Completes Full Processing Line in Bartlesville as Commissioning Advances

Milestone completes the first phase of the company’s DOE-supported expansion and raises annual processing capacity from 14,000 to 20,000 metric tons

BARTLESVILLE, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blue Whale Materials ("BWM"), a leading domestic lithium-ion (li-ion) battery recycling and critical minerals recovery company, today announced that it has achieved mechanical completion of its full processing line at its Bartlesville, Oklahoma facility and began commissioning the line earlier this month.

The full line gives BWM the capability to process li-ion battery cells, modules, and packs through its proprietary Blacksand® technology in a single integrated operation. Blacksand® is a thermally treated, high-grade black mass that carries nickel, cobalt, and lithium recovered from end-of-life batteries and production scrap. With cells, modules and packs all running through one line, BWM can now comprehensively serve domestic customers at scale and grow the production of critical minerals for the US supply chain.

The milestone marks completion of the first phase of BWM’s Department of Energy expansion grant at Bartlesville, which increases annual processing capacity from 14,000 to 20,000 metric tons of battery feedstock with the addition of full line capabilities.

"Mechanical completion is the milestone that turns on full capabilities," said Jack Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Blue Whale Materials. "The team built and closed out the full line while the baseline operation kept running and kept shipping. Commissioning is underway, and our focus now is bringing the line to rate and continuing our expansion. Coupled with the team’s recent fundraising close, the full line gives us the platform to serve our customers with responsible and safe recycling services and high-quality Blacksand® for the domestic supply chain of critical minerals."

"Blue Whale continues to execute with exceptional discipline," said Cory Steffek, Partner at Ara Partners. “Successfully commissioning an integrated line capable of handling complete battery packs through to individual cells marks the transition from promising technology to essential commercial infrastructure. Reaching 20,000 metric tons of capacity solidifies BWM's position as a cornerstone of the domestic critical minerals supply chain."

Commissioning of the full line is expected to continue through the balance of the year as the facility ramps to its expanded capacity.

About Blue Whale Materials

Blue Whale Materials is an industry-leading battery-recycling company focused on closing the loop in the lithium-ion battery ecosystem. With proprietary technology, BWM converts spent cells, modules, packs, and production scrap into high-grade Blacksand® — a premium black mass optimized for efficient refining and reuse in new battery production. Its Bartlesville, Oklahoma facility serves as the cornerstone of its rapidly expanding domestic strategy. BWM is backed by Ara Partners. For more information, please visit www.bluewhalematerials.com.

About Ara Partners

Founded in 2017, Ara Partners is a global private markets firm focused on decarbonizing the industrial economy. The firm invests in the middle market across three strategies: Private Equity, Infrastructure, and Energy. The firm scales commercially demonstrated decarbonization solutions, supports the businesses and infrastructure that enable their adoption, and reduces emissions at the source across the conventional energy value chain. The firm operates from Houston, Boston, Dublin and Washington D.C., and, as of March 31, 2026, had approximately $8.2 billion in assets under management. For more information, please visit www.arapartners.com.