The export requirements for raw-material-containing waste streams announced last week are taking more concrete shape.
On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump authorized the Department of Commerce to develop export restrictions on waste streams containing critical raw materials in order to strengthen supplies for the defense industry. The Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has now issued the first concrete measures (PDF). They cover so-called black mass from shredded lithium-ion batteries as well as tungsten waste and scrap. Starting on August 27, U.S. sellers must reserve their entire monthly sales volumes of these materials for domestic buyers.
The agency may grant exemptions on a case-by-case basis, for example if the rule would cause exceptional hardship for a company. Processing abroad will also remain possible, provided that the recovered material is subsequently returned to the United States. The measures are initially set to remain in force for one year.
According to the Financial Times (paywall), the United States has increasingly exported tungsten scrap this year to the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and South Korea. At the same time, no commercial tungsten mining has taken place in the country since 2015. The US Geological Survey states that several domestic companies are capable of processing tungsten concentrates, ammonium paratungstate, tungsten oxide, or scrap into tungsten powder, tungsten carbide powder, or tungsten chemicals. However, the agency has not provided information on the scale of these processing capacities.
The U.S. battery recycling chain also remains underdeveloped. A report published in July by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that domestic processing capacity is insufficient, meaning that recyclable material is often landfilled or exported for processing abroad.
Photo: Oleksii Mach via Canva
