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Canadian mining company Electra Battery Materials Corp. said it is the first company in North America to use an energy-saving technique to recycle critical minerals from old batteries on a large scale, a breakthrough that could position the Toronto-based company to capitalize on the transition to a greener economy.
Electra reported positive results from tests at its Temiskaming Shores, Ontario refinery, where it separated key minerals using water-based technology that uses less energy and emits less carbon than the heat-based process used by most recyclers.
“The results confirm that our proprietary hydrometallurgical process is capable of effectively recovering high-value elements from shredded lithium-ion batteries,” said the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Trent Mell, in a Feb. 14 news release.
Mell added that the preliminary results “represent a significant milestone for the company and the industry.”
Battery recyclers focus on collecting black matter, which is an industry term for expired lithium-ion batteries that have been shredded and their cases removed. It contains elements such as nickel, cobalt, copper, lithium and graphite, all of which are in high demand due to increasing sales of battery-powered electric vehicles around the world.
The demonstration plant went into operation at the end of December. Following the test results, the Company decided to recover more critical minerals than originally intended and to extend the pilot program through June.
Data from the study will help the company estimate the costs needed to build a permanent recycling facility next to its refinery, which it expects to complete next year. Electra had hoped to complete construction of the refinery by spring 2023, but that will likely be delayed by a shortage of microchips needed to run the facility.
On September 22 last year, Electra signed an agreement to supply 7,000 tons of cobalt from its Ontario refinery to LG Energy Solution Ltd., a global manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries, in what the company describes as its “first major commercial contract.” had. ”
The delay in completing the refinery will not affect Electra’s agreement with LG, its vice president of investor relations, Joe Racanelli, said on February 13.
In June, Electra announced that it was in talks with the Quebec government to build a new cobalt refinery at Becancour. In April, Glencore plc announced it would purchase cobalt and nickel from Electra’s battery recycling facility for a year. The metals are obtained by refining black matter from lithium-ion batteries.
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