Asian lithium prices are set to stay elevated into the second quarter after Zimbabwe suspended lithium concentrate exports and other supply disruptions hit the battery-material chain.
USA Rare Earth said on April 15, 2026, that it completed its first commercial yttrium metal production, adding a new industrial material to its expanding rare-earth platform.
The U.S. Energy Department has reopened a $500 million battery materials grant round aimed at domestic processing, recycling and component manufacturing, with full applications due April 24, 2026. The program targets commercial and demonstration-scale facilities that can reduce dependence on imported critical minerals and battery inputs.
6K Additive has won a $1.95 million Phase II contract from the Defense Logistics Agency to convert nickel, titanium, tungsten and niobium scrap from military depots into high-value powder for additive manufacturing.
Fraunhofer IFAM said on April 1, 2026, that it is developing an electrochemical recycling process designed to recover lithium, cobalt and nickel from battery wastewater with less energy and no added acids or bases.
Trafigura has agreed to buy recycled nickel and lithium from U.S. refiner Nth Cycle in a 10-year deal worth $1.1 billion, a contract that could help finance new black mass refining plants in South Carolina and the Netherlands.
