First Phosphate, the Canada-based minerals company, has produced lithium-ferro-phosphate (LFP) battery cells using North American critical minerals.
The company said it mainly used critical materials from the Canadian province of Quebec to produce the cathode and anode materials for the 18650 LFP battery cells.
It said the phosphate was sourced from high-purity phosphoric acid from igneous phosphate concentrate that was extracted from First Phosphate’s Bégin-Lamarche property in Quebec and processed in Belgium.
The company said it sourced its iron from iron powder produced using magnetite concentrate also taken from the firm’s property in Quebec and processed by the metal powder manufacturer GKN Hoeganaes in Tennessee, USA.
The lithium was taken from lithium carbonate produced by Century Lithium from its operations in Nevada.
The graphite was sourced graphite-based active anode material produced by Nouveau Monde Graphite from its operations in Quebec.
The company said its LFP 18650 cell are versatile in use in industries such as robotics, automation, military and defence, data centres, telecommunications, medical devices, consumer electronics and electric mobility.
Its cell is also used in autonomous electric devices such as robots, drones and UAVs, power tools, electric bicycles and solar storage devices.
John Passalacqua, CEO, First Phosphate, said: “Today we demonstrate that North America, and Quebec in particular, possess the full spectrum of critical minerals and industrial capabilities to re-onshore LFP battery cell production. It is important to remember that LFP battery technology originated in North America. Reclaiming this leadership is essential to securing North American energy storage, mobility, data centre, robotics, and defence industry infrastructure.”
Image: First Phosphate’s 18650 LFP battery cell. Credit: First Phosphate.
