Black Mass

Sustainable raw material extraction through precise analysis

In a world that increasingly relies on electromobility and digital technologies, the amount of electronic waste is also growing rapidly. These old devices contain valuable raw materials such as precious metals and rare earths, the recovery of which is not only ecologically sensible but also economically attractive. A central element in the recycling process of lithium-ion batteries is the so-called black mass – a fine-grained, black powder that is produced after the mechanical decomposition of the batteries. This mass contains a variety of metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and graphite, which are essential for the production of new batteries.

In the context of e-recycling, the precise analysis of black mass plays a decisive role. Only through precise knowledge of the elements contained and their concentrations can efficient and economical recovery of the raw materials be guaranteed. IMG uses a wide range of state-of-the-art analysis techniques for this purpose:

• X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) for fast, non-destructive determination of the main elements,
• ICP mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the highly sensitive detection of trace elements,
• ICP-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) for precise quantitative analyses in the medium concentration range,
• Glow discharge mass spectrometry (GDMS) for analyzing metals and coatings that are difficult to break down in cooperation with the sister company Elmaspecs GmbH.

By combining traditional methods such as docimacies and state-of-the-art instrument analysis techniques, IMG provides its customers – from the metal and raw materials trade to industry, recycling companies and research institutes – with reliable and comparable data. In this way, we make an important contribution to the sustainable extraction of raw materials and the promotion of the circular economy.