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Electra Battery Materials Makes First Customer Shipment of Recycled Nickel-Cobalt Produced at its Refinery Complex
TORONTO / Jul 17, 2023 / Business Wire / Electra Battery Materials Corporation (NASDAQ: ELBM; TSX-V: ELBM) (“Electra” or the “Company”) today announced the firs
About this update from Electra Battery Materials Corp
[{"type":"text","content":"TORONTO / Jul 17, 2023 / Business Wire / Electra Battery Materials Corporation (NASDAQ: ELBM; TSX-V: ELBM) (“Electra” or the “Company”) today announced the first customer shipment of nickel-cobalt produced at its refinery complex north of Toronto from recycled battery material. Using Electra’s proprietary hydrometallurgical process, the nickel-cobalt mixed hydroxide precipitate product (“MHP”) was produced in the Company’s black mass recycling trial currently underway at its permitted, low-carbon hydrometallurgical refinery. “The first customer delivery of product from our refinery marks another important milestone on the path to commercializing our black mass refining capabilities,” said Trent Mell, CEO of Electra. “Since the trial’s launch late in 2022, we have proven that our proprietary hydrometallurgical process works successfully, produces high-quality products, including lithium carbonate and nickel-cobalt MHP, and supports compelling economics.” Black mass is the industry term used to describe the material remaining once expired lithium-ion batteries are shredded and all casings removed. Black mass contains high-value elements, including nickel, cobalt, lithium, manganese and graphite, that once recovered, can be recycled to new produce new lithium-ion batteries. Electra launched its black mass trial at the end of December 2022, with the goal of validating its hydrometallurgical process in a plant-scale setting and testing its refinery equipment. Electra’s achievements since the start of its black mass trial include: On February 14, 2023, Electra confirmed that it had successfully completed the first plant-scale recycling of black mass material in North America and recovered critical metals needed for the electric vehicle battery supply chain using its proprietary hydrometallurgical process. On March 13, 2023, Electra announced that it recovered lithium, a critical mineral needed for the electric vehicle EV battery supply chain. The recovery and subsequent production of a high-quality lithium carbonate product in a plant-scale setting validate Electra’s proprietary hydrometallurgical process. Also, in March 2023 Electra produced a mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) at contained metal grades for nickel and cobalt above quoted market specifications. Recoveries within the MHP circuit, which produces the highest value product...