3 Questions for… Dr Dominik Lembke, Librec
“The rationale lies in minimising the logistical effort of transporting old battery systems”
Dr Lembke holds a degree in Physics from LMU Munich, a PhD from EPFL Lausanne and an MBA from the Collège des Ingénieurs in Paris.
Dominik Lembke
In the run-up to the Automotive Battery Conference, we interviewed Dr Dominik Lembke, CBDO at Librec. The 7th edition of the international event will take place on 9 and 10 July 2025 in Munich, and Dr Lembke is one of the speakers.
Dr Dominik Lembke was appointed Chief Business Development Officer at Librec in January 2025. Prior to this role, he served as Director of Product Development at Svolt Europe from 2021 to 2024. From 2014 to 2021, he held several positions in the battery development department at Porsche, including Subject Area Manager BEV Battery Systems, Product Manager for the Macan Battery, and Test Manager for the Taycan Battery.
At this year’s Automotive Battery Conference, Dr Lembke will present on "Closing the Loop of Battery Materials: The Contribution of Black Mass Production", covering business models for battery recycling in Europe, innovations in black mass processing, and a long-term vision for sustainable material supply. Ahead of the event, we asked him the following three questions.
ADT: What role does black mass play in building a sustainable battery materials supply chain?
Dr. Lembke: Black mass from recycled batteries plays a vital role in building a sustainable battery supply chain. It serves as a substitute for mined materials extracted from spodumene or brine, offering up to 80% lower greenhouse gas emissions. In principle, a future supply chain could rely primarily on recycled materials, with mining only compensating for process losses. Robin Zeng, founder of CATL, has projected that China could be fully supplied by recycled battery materials as early as 2042.
What are the current innovation priorities in black mass processing and quality control across the industry?
Current innovation priorities in black mass production focus on maximising the recovery rates of valuable materials such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium, while minimising impurities like aluminium, copper, organic residues, and moisture. Reducing energy consumption during pre-treatment and black mass production is also a key objective. Additionally, efforts are underway to further minimise residual organic content in further post-treatment steps. The long-term vision of the recycling industry can be described as direct recycling, where cathode active materials (CAM) can be recovered and reused directly, i.e. with minimal pre-treatment efforts.
What business models are most promising for scaling battery recycling in Europe?
The optimal business model for the battery recycling industry is often described as the spoke-and-hub system. In this model, smaller regional facilities collect and pre-treat end-of-life batteries within a few hundred kilometres, extracting black mass locally. This black mass is then transported to centralised hubs, where it is refined into battery-grade metal salts at scale. The rationale lies in minimising the logistical effort of transporting old battery systems while leveraging economies of scale in the refining process. Key success factors include securing a high volume of feedstock to ensure scale efficiency and integrating precursor (pCAM) and cathode active material (CAM) production in Europe, where margins are higher. The most promising approach is to establish a closed-loop battery supply chain through strategic partnerships between EV manufacturers, cell and CAM manufacturers, and recyclers—ensuring material security, environmental sustainability, and alignment with EU circular economy goals.
