Canadian metals company American Manganese has started proof of concept testing of its large-scale lithium-ion cathode material recycling process.
Research and development firm Kemetco Research will undertake tests of the company’s proprietary hydrometallurgical process for the recycling of cathode materials, specifically lithium–cobalt.
There is currently no known commercial technology for large scale recycling of cathode materials of multiple chemistries, claimed Norman Chow, president of Kemetco Research.
Electric vehicle battery demand means lithium for use in cathode materials is currently outstripping the available supply.
A kilogram of lithium cobalt oxide cathode material holds around 0.588 kWh, with the. At those figures 40,816,327 kg of cathode materials is needed to achieve Tesla’s 24GWh demand if it wants to fulfill its 400,000 unit waiting list on its Model 3 car.
Larry Reaugh, president and chief executive officer of American Manganese said: “The opportunity here is to capitalise on not only the initial orders but also the on-going future orders using a new clean technology to treat this waste (the spent batteries) as a renewable resource.
“Our process, once proven, will be more economical and environmentally friendly than opening new mines and treating mined ores that contain a fraction of a percent of the target minerals.”
This has led to the current price of lithium carbonate feedstock in North America rising to around $6,400/tonne, with spot prices in Chinese reportedly triple this amount.
In addition to the on-going proof of concept testing, American Manganese is developing new technology and know-how for this application from its existing patented and proprietary intellectual property, said the firm.
