ReElement forms JV for Japan refinery

While enjoying local government support for establishing a battery materials recycling facility in Indiana, American Resources Corp.'s ReElement Technologies Corp. aims for over the land and across the sea as it announced a joint venture partnership with JHUT LLC to establish ReElement Technology Japan.

"Over the course of the last year, we have had the opportunity to collaborate and strategize on a partnership with the JHUT team, and we are excited that we have come to an agreement to move forward together," said ReElement Technologies CEO Mark Jensen. "Japan has been a leader on the world stage for developing and utilizing high value, cutting edge technologies and it couldn't be a better place for us to announce our first international JV expansion."

ReElement Technology Japan will operate as a lithium-ion battery and battery material recycling hub in the Oimachi, Oi-gun, Fukui Prefecture of Japan, roughly 33 miles (53 kilometers) from Kyoto, and utilize ReElement's critical mineral and refining technology.

"We are excited to partner with JHUT to bring our technology to the Japanese market to source, recycle, and refine end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and manufacturing scrap back to ultra-pure, battery-grade materials, utilizing our proprietary, low cost and environmentally sustainable refining methods," added Jensen. "We look forward to a long-term relationship with the JHUT team given their passion, drive and commitment to excellence."

In the beginning stages, the new ReElement Technology Japan will build a pilot facility that will operate at the selected site in the city of Oi, with a targeted capacity of up to 220 pounds (100 kilograms) per day of battery-grade lithium hydroxide or carbonate to showcase the company's partners and customers in the Japanese market.

Afterward, the new JV will work to increase the scale of the facility through its planned modular design capability, thereby increasing its capacity to recycle and refine a higher volume of battery material feedstock that currently exists within the Japanese market.

"Over the course of the last few years we have evaluated multiple technologies for lithium refining and battery recycling and are excited to have selected the ReElement Technologies method and collaborate with the ReElement team, given their proven success and scalable technology," said JHUT CEO Toshio Ozawa. "We have selected Oi-machi, Oi-gun, Fukui Prefecture as the site for our battery recycling and refining hub and have commenced working with local partners to showcase the RTJ partnership in the Japanese market. The need for recycled material has never been greater, and Japan has long been a leader in the electrified economy."

ReElement is currently in the design and buildout phase of its 50-metric-ton-per-day lithium carbonate and hydroxide production plant at the Marion, Indiana, facility, which will be representative of the commercial-scale production to be built in Japan, post pilot.

"We are excited to work with the ReElement team to solve the gap by being able to provide battery grade refined critical material back into the marketplace for reuse," added Ozawa.

ReElement Technologies will receive upfront fees to service, engineer, and design the initial production trains, as well as receive additional ongoing capital from JHUT and affiliates to build the initial commercial qualification plant that will showcase the technology in Japan for commercial partnerships and customers.

Following the completion of the initial facility, expected in the second half of 2024, the parties will work together and, with other strategic parties, build the first of several expected full-scale commercial facilities within Japan.