Electra Battery Materials Corporation has 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.