Nano One, a company with patented processes for the low-cost, low-environmental footprint production of high-performance cathode materials used in lithium-ion batteries, and Euro Manganese, a battery raw materials company, are jointly developing economically viable and environmentally sustainable applications of high-purity electrolytic manganese metal (HPEMM) as one of several inputs for the production of cathode active materials used in lithium-ion batteries.
The two companies have now announced progress under their Joint Development Agreement. In this first milestone, pilot plant samples from Euro Manganese’s Chvaletice Manganese Project have been successfully validated as feedstock for Nano One’s patented One-Pot and M2CAM cathode production technologies. This avoids the added cost, complexity, and environmental footprint of using metal sulphates in cathode production.
Dan Blondal, Nano One CEO, states: “We are demonstrating the production of cathode materials made directly from high purity metals, and I am pleased to announce that we have now done so with electrolytic manganese metal from Euro Manganese. This strategy eliminates capital and environmentally intensive chemical conversion steps, eliminates large volumes of wasteful by-product and aligns us with legislation in North America and Europe to fast-track battery supply chains from secure and readily available sources of critical minerals. Nano One has ambitious plans to be a participant in the battery driven transformation of mobility and renewable energy storage, and we are pleased to be blazing this trail with Euro Manganese.”
Nano One’s One-Pot process, its coated nanocrystal materials and its Metal to Cathode Active Material (M2CAM) technologies address fundamental performance needs and supply chain constraints while reducing costs and carbon footprint. Nano One has received funding from various government programs. The current “Scaling of Advanced Battery Materials Project” is supported by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) and the Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund of the Province of British Columbia.