Electra makes first battery recycling move

Becoming the frontrunner of battery recyclers, Electra Battery Materials Corp. announced that it has successfully completed the first plant-scale recycling of black mass material in North America, recovering critical metals such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese needed for the electric vehicles of the low-carbon future.

Colloquially known as black mass, it is essentially the remains of pulverized lithium-ion battery anode and cathode materials.

Imperative toward the decarbonization and electrification of the U.S., Canada, and its numerous green allied countries, established North American battery recyclers have traditionally focused on the collection and shredding of batteries with the resulting black mass material being treated by a pyrometallurgical smelting process that has a higher carbon footprint and lower metal recoveries than hydrometallurgical processes.

"Initial results from our black mass trial are extremely encouraging," said Electra Battery Materials CEO Trent Mell. "The results validate that our proprietary hydrometallurgical process is able to recover high-value elements from shredded lithium-ion batteries effectively and confirm that the commissioning work we have completed to date has made our refinery operational again after being idle for more than a decade."

As a result of preliminary results achieved thus far, in tandem with interest expressed by potential commercial partners, Electra has decided to extend its black mass processing and recovery activities through June 2023, beyond its initial target of 75 metric tons.

"These preliminary results represent a significant milestone for the company and the industry as we believe it marks the first hydrometallurgical plant-scale recycling of black mass in North America and the first recovery of a mixed hydroxide nickel and cobalt product," added Mell. "These results pave the way for us to extend our trial beyond the 75 tonnes we initially planned and maximize the cashflow opportunities generated through the sale of multiple products critical to the EV battery supply chain in North America."

The total amount of material to be processed and recovered through June will be determined in the coming weeks. Furthermore, Electra has identified multiple sources of supply and is in discussions on terms and conditions with vendors.

Refinery update

Since its last update in November, Electra has made continued progress on the commissioning and construction of its cobalt refinery project despite ongoing supply chain disruptions and delivery delays to critical pieces of equipment.

One of these issues is the shortage of microchips, which are needed for several process control system components at the cobalt refinery.

Additionally, a film evaporator vessel needed for the crystallization circuit – the final stage in the cobalt sulfate refining process – was damaged en route to the plant.

"Ongoing global supply chain disruptions, notably with microchips needed for monitoring equipment performance and the flow of cobalt solution through various vessels, coupled with the receipt of damaged equipment that is critical to the buildout of the crystallization circuit have created unexpected delays to the commissioning of our cobalt sulfate refinery timelines," said the Electra CEO.

As a result, Electra withdrew its plant commissioning and production guidance issued in August and November.

In light of these recent developments, the company is completing a review of the refinery project scope, scheduling, and capital expenditures and expects to provide results in the coming weeks.

"While we evaluate a number of options, including the procurement of equipment from alternative sources of supply, construction has progressed ahead of equipment deliveries," added Mell. "Site-level leadership is completing a baseline review of the project and the company anticipates providing an update in conjunction with our year-end results to be issued before the end of March."