Battery materials firm Nano One has secured a raw material supply in its bid to develop a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode production chain with China’s Pulead Technology Industry.
The Canadian-headquartered company announced on 9 December it had identified materials that meet its performance targets and Pulead’s specifications for impurities and cost after working with an expert in China.
Pulead approved the key suppliers identified by Nano One as the two companies pursue their joint development plan to develop, evaluate and optimise scaled production of LFP cathode material.
Pulead develops and manufactures cathode active materials for lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), LFP, and nickel cobalt manganese (NCM).
Nano One is now a step closer to commercialisation and its joint objective of licensing its patented technology for the production of LFP by Pulead.
Dan Blondal, CEO of Nano One, said it was critical to cathode manufacturers that a sustainable supply of raw materials is in place prior to significant investment decisions on expansion and technology adoption.
Nano One is expected to complete an engineering report detailing an LFP production line for review by Pulead early next year. The report will be used to calculate royalty and/or profit split model for using Nano One’s technology.
The report will include process diagrams, detailed flow sheets, equipment specifications, plant layout, capital equipment cost estimates and return on investment economics.
Pulead produced 15,000 tons of LFP in 2018 and has plans to reach 200,000 tons per year by 2025.
