What the site does
The Maasvlakte area of Rotterdam is part of Europe's largest port, with chemical industry, bulk handling and deep-sea, rail and inland-waterway connections. The refining works opened on Europaweg in 2018 to process black mass from across Europe, using the port's infrastructure to receive feed and dispatch finished products efficiently. The works is one of the largest refining sites in the network, and its feed comes from many countries.
With 30,000 TPA of capacity, the works takes black mass by road, rail, barge and sea, and produces battery-grade salts for cathode and cell producers. Its position among established chemical operations supports reagent supply, and its experience with cross-border waste shipments makes it a common destination for black mass from several European countries. Assay results set the basis for settlement.
What arrives at the gate
Feedstock at Rotterdam, South Holland reflects its catchment and plant type. Every consignment is weighed, photographed and logged against the originating manifest before it enters the process area.
- Black mass from European campuses and shredders
- Imported black mass where permitted
- Cathode and electrode scrap
- Intermediate products for further refining
The process, step by step
The 3 operating lines — black mass leaching, solvent extraction, battery-grade salt crystallisation — run the sequence below.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Feed assay & sampling | Incoming black mass is homogenised and assayed by ICP-OES for Li, Ni, Co, Mn, Cu, Al and fluoride before it is released to leach. |
| Sulphuric acid leaching | Two-stage leach at 60–85 °C with peroxide reductant dissolves cathode metals at 96–99% extraction efficiency. |
| Impurity removal | Iron, aluminium and copper are precipitated and filtered; graphite is recovered as a separate low-ash cake. |
| Solvent extraction trains | Sequential Co, Ni and Mn circuits with counter-current mixer-settlers deliver individual metal raffinates. |
| Crystallisation & drying | Nickel and cobalt sulphate hexahydrate plus lithium carbonate are crystallised to 99.5%+ battery grade and bagged under nitrogen. |
| Batch certification | Every batch ships with a certificate of analysis, mass balance and chain-of-custody record for EPR and IRA reporting. |
What sets the site apart
Europe's largest port. Direct access to shipping, rail and inland waterways.
Chemical-cluster setting. Located among established chemical operations and reagent suppliers.
Pan-European feed. Receives black mass from across Europe under shipment controls.
Where material goes next
Material that Rotterdam, South Holland does not finish on site moves to the nearest specialist facility in the network, keeping transport distances and dwell times down.
| Facility | Role | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham — West Midlands Grading Works | Cell Grading & Diagnostics | 439 km |
| Zwickau — Saxony Second-Life Works | Second-Life BESS Works | 572 km |
Field note