American Resources Corp (NASDAQ:AREC) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Electrified Materials Corporation (EMCO), has joined NAATBatt International, a North American trade association focused on the development, commercialization and manufacturing of advanced battery technologies.
The company said the membership aligns with EMCO's efforts to expand its battery recycling, pre-processing and conditioning operations as it works to support domestic critical mineral recovery and battery supply chain development.
"Joining NAATBatt is an important step for EMCO as we continue to expand our battery recycling, pre-processing and conditioning platform," Chris Dreska, Electrified Materials Corporation CEO, said in a statement.
Dreska said NAATBatt brings together companies and technical leaders involved in advanced battery manufacturing, materials recovery and lifecycle management across North America, areas that closely match EMCO's strategic focus.
"As we build out our ability to safely handle, store, dispose of, process and condition end-of-life, off-warranty and off-spec lithium-ion batteries, our goal is to support responsible material recovery, prepare critical battery feedstocks for downstream separation, purification and refining through our partnership with ReElement Technologies, and help advance a more circular and resilient domestic battery supply chain," he said.
According to the company, EMCO is developing capabilities that include the storage, disposition, shredding, pre-processing and conditioning of end-of-life, off-warranty and off-spec lithium-ion batteries. Through its participation in NAATBatt, EMCO expects to engage with battery manufacturers, recyclers, materials suppliers, energy storage companies and other industry stakeholders.
The company said its business model is focused on collecting and preparing battery materials for downstream processing, while leveraging ReElement Technologies' refining platform for separation and purification. American Resources said this approach allows EMCO to concentrate investment on battery aggregation, logistics, storage and feedstock conditioning rather than building its own refining infrastructure.
EMCO is also targeting the recycling of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, a battery chemistry that has historically been more difficult for recyclers due to the lack of nickel and cobalt content.
American Resources said EMCO and ReElement continue to work with commercial partners, manufacturers, recyclers, logistics providers and government stakeholders to expand domestic circular supply chain solutions for lithium-ion batteries, rare earth elements and other critical minerals.
The company said the combination of EMCO's recycling and conditioning platform with ReElement's refining technology is intended to support the recovery and reintroduction of critical materials into the North American supply chain.