American Manganese Inc. (TSX-V:AMY, OTCQB:AMYZF) revealed that it has been successful in the upcycling of lithium-ion battery black mass into NMC-811 (nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide) cathode precursor, using the company’s RecycLiCo closed-loop process.
The critical minerals company noted that the results are a continuation of earlier success where the company upcycled the same black mass sample into NMC-622.
"The production of NMC-811 and NMC-622 cathode precursor directly from the same lithium-ion battery black mass sample demonstrates RecycLiCo's ability to adjust its product output to changing battery cathode precursor demands of future customers," American Manganese CEO Larry Reaugh said in a statement.
READ: American Manganese says Japanese Patent Office has issued patent for its RecycLiCo process
"Our testing program aims to grow strategic partnerships with leaders in the electric vehicle and lithium-ion battery industry and we are pleased to demonstrate our practical and efficient solution for achieving high-quality cathode precursors with one closed-loop process," he added.
Lab-scale leaching tests confirmed over 99% leach extraction efficiency of lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt. The company explained that following the recovery of cathode precursor material (nickel, manganese, and cobalt), the RecycLiCo process separately extracts high purity lithium while regenerating process chemicals for reuse in the process.
“The closed-loop and value-added processing methods achieve low chemical consumption, good overall mass balance, and refined final products that are key to lithium-ion battery manufacturing,” noted the company.
The black mass sample was sent by an electric vehicle manufacturer to confirm the viability of American Manganese's patented process to extract valuable lithium-ion battery materials. The black mass was produced by mechanical size reduction of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries, resulting in a powder substance that contains critical battery materials, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese, as well as copper, aluminum, and graphite.
“The solution produced after leaching the black mass is adjusted to the desired ratio of nickel, manganese, and cobalt before the direct co-precipitation of the NMC-811 cathode precursor,” said the company. The number designation following NMC indicates the ratio of nickel, manganese, and cobalt contained. For instance, the NMC-811 ratio is 80% nickel, 10% manganese, and 10% cobalt).
Modern electric vehicle battery packs are predominantly shifting to higher nickel-containing cathode materials and American Manganese has demonstrated this essential processing flexibility to upcycle older electric vehicle battery materials into the next generation of lithium-ion battery cathode precursor materials.
American Manganese is blazing a trail in the recovery of metals from scrap cathode material rejected by battery manufacturers and is focused on recycling electric-vehicle lithium-ion batteries. It is focused on the upcycling of lithium-ion battery waste into high-value battery cathode materials, using its closed-loop RecycLiCo process.
Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com
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