Battery Recycling & Materials Recovery worked example

Black Mass Recovery Yield at 37% target black mass yield: a worked example

Push target black mass yield up to 37% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. a battery recycling plant needs to check whether a shredding and separation run recovered the expected black mass from incoming feed

The inputs for this scenario

  • Recovered black mass weight: 2,850 kg (unchanged)
  • Incoming battery feed mass: 9,000 kg (unchanged)
  • Target black mass yield: 37 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 32)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Black mass recovery yield = recovered black mass weight รท incoming battery feed mass) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 31.67 % black mass yield for black mass recovery yield, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5.33 points for yield gap to target.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 2,850 kg for recovered black mass.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 9,000 kg for incoming battery feed.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where target black mass yield sits at 32% and the headline result is 31.67 % black mass yield, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 31.67 % black mass yield.
  • It divides recovered black mass weight by incoming battery feed mass to give yield, then subtracts that yield from your target to show the gap in points. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Black mass recovery yield: 31.67 % black mass yield (headline result)
  • Yield gap to target: 5.33 points
  • Recovered black mass: 2,850 kg
  • Incoming battery feed: 9,000 kg

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Black Mass Recovery Yield calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.