Efficient battery recycling is both economically and environmentally necessary due to limited raw material availability. The current EU Battery Regulation mandates ambitious recycling quotas. Sustainable battery cell production in Germany relies on powerful recycling processes and precise, reliable material characterization. Only this approach enables the recovery of high-quality recyclates.
 

Goals and Approach
The project focuses on black mass, a fine-grained intermediate product of battery recycling containing lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite. Its composition and impurities vary considerably and affect further processing. The SHERLOCK project advances analysis and characterization methods for reliable assessment. Model black masses are used to develop a standardized methodology, which is later transferred to industrial samples. This leads to quality classes, recommendations for direct and hydrometallurgical recycling processes, and a catalog of criteria for evaluating black mass.

Innovations and Perspectives
The project aims to develop a technical specification defining requirements for sample preparation, calibration, and measurement conditions. It will ensure reliable measurements in both laboratory and industrial settings. New methods such as time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic particle spectroscopy will capture structural and dynamic properties of black mass. New processes for removing impurities and hybrid process chains aim to improve recyclate quality and recycling efficiency.

Fraunhofer ISC's Core Work Areas in the SHERLOCK Project

• Evaluating the impact of impurities in black mass on direct recycling
• Developing methods to remove impurities from real black mass
• Identifying synergies between hydrometallurgical and direct recycling

Read Press Release about "SHERLOCK"