American Manganese Inc. (TSX-V:AMY, OTCQB:AMYZF) said preliminary results of an environmental impact study for its lithium-ion battery recycling process RecycLiCo have shown it could be a greener alternative to meet the rising global demand for lithium.
Initial results indicate RecycLiCo has a lower environmental impact than would typically result from primary material production or common hydrometallurgical lithium-ion battery recycling processes.
The life cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out by United Kingdom-based sustainability and LCA consultancy Minviro Ltd and it quantified the environmental performance of producing nickel-manganese-cobalt cathode precursor and lithium hydroxide from recycled and upcycled battery waste.
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Minviro assessed impact categories such as global warming potential, water scarcity footprint, acidification potential, minerals and metal depletion, and fossil fuel depletion, and benchmarked the values to industry averages in primary mineral production and common hydrometallurgical lithium-ion battery recycling processes.
American Manganese said to ensure all data was robust and transparent, the values from the assessment would not be finalized or announced until an external review by an ISO-compliant third party was complete, which is expected in four weeks.
American Manganese CEO Larry Reaugh said, like patents, publications, and recycling extraction results, external review and approval were critical in supporting the company’s claims and maintaining its reputation for transparency.
"I would encourage an LCA study for all aspects of the lithium-ion battery supply chain to guide a transparent and detailed discussion on a project's environmental footprint, and to support strategies which adopt the most efficient and environmentally friendly technologies for an electrified future,” Reaugh said.
He said the company looked forward to reporting the values of the RecycLiCo process once the external review was complete.
American Manganese is a critical metals company focused on the recycling of lithium-ion batteries using its RecycLiCo process.
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