American Manganese Inc (CVE:AMY) announced Thursday that its specialized cathode reactor is being prepared to produce its first test batch of cathode-precursor materials.
The company acquired the specialized reactor for cathode-precursor production, which is a valuable input for lithium-ion battery manufacturing.
The reactor is capable of producing modern cathode materials such as lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide (NMC) and lithium-nickel-cobalt-aluminum oxide (NCA), both of which are commonly used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
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To achieve the modern cathode material's high-quality standards and to ensure testing conditions are not contaminated, American Manganese said it has prepared a specialized and controlled testing area for the reactor -- which will first undergo water testing before introducing the purified NMC and NCA leach solutions that were produced during the RecycLiCo pilot plant's patented leach stages.
The company will report the results of the independent analytical testing performed on the test batch and will also prepare samples of the produced NMC and NCA cathode precursor for independent performance validation by all interested third-party organizations.
The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) has provided support and funding for this technical feasibility project, formally known as Synthesis of Cathode Material Precursors from Recycled Battery Scrap.
"The production of high-quality cathode precursor material, in a minimal number of steps, lends added value to our recycled product and shows the viability of our closed-loop recycling method," said American Manganese CEO Larry Reaugh in a statement.
"The engineering and process parameter experiments throughout our pilot plant project offer a valuable tool to incorporate into larger commercial projects."
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