356% Increase of Pilot Plant Pre-Leach Process Capacity to 292 kg/day of Lithium-ion Battery Cathode Scrap Material
SURREY, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 4, 2020 / American Manganese Inc. (TSXV:AMY)(OTC PINK:AMYZF)(FSE:2AM) ("AMY" or the "Company") is pleased to report that the Company's contract research lab, Kemetco Research, has further optimized the processing capacity of the pilot plant's pre-leach stage from 160kg/day to 292 kg/day of lithium-ion battery cathode scrap material. The pre-leach stage is where the cathode active material -- comprised of lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt -- is separated from the aluminum foil. The improvement can be attributed to the specialized pieces of equipment announced in the July 30, 2020 press release.
Prior to the recent optimization results, the pre-leach processing capacity was successfully increased from 64 kg/day to 160 kg/day with engineering upgrades, including thermal control of exothermic reactions, which enabled the lithium-ion battery cathode recycling pilot plant to operate at a higher pulp density, as announced in the company's June 9, 2020 press release.
"Optimization testing has been a beneficial learning curve and we are thrilled to announce a 356% increase in the pre-leach processing capacity of the pilot plant, which we can incorporate into the detailed engineering of our commercial plant design," said Larry Reaugh, President and CEO of American Manganese.
In response to the pre-leach processing capacity upgrades, American Manganese and Kemetco will advance the pilot plant optimization testing by increasing the capacity of the subsequent leach circuit to balance the greatly increased capacity of the pre-leach stage.
Lithium-ion battery cathode scrap from battery megafactories is an immediate opportunity in the recycling market and American Manganese recognized this early by commissioning the pilot plant project and strategizing the commercial plant around cathode scrap feedstock. As recently indicated by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, an average lithium-ion battery scrap rate of 10% could result in as much as 64,000 tonnes lithium chemical, 96,000 tonnes graphite anode, 45,000 tonnes nickel, 18,000 tonnes cobalt, 22,000 tonnes manganese being recycled by 2025, which would be equivalent to the entire lithium-ion battery market in 2017.
Kemetco Research is a private sector integrated science, technology and innovation company. Their Contract Sciences operation provides laboratory analysis and testing, field work, bench scale studies, pilot plant investigations, consulting services, applied research and development for both industry and government. Their clients range from start-up companies developing new technologies through to large multinational corporations with proven processes.
Kemetco provides scientific expertise in the fields of Specialty Analytical Chemistry, Chemical Process and Extractive Metallurgy. Because Kemetco carries out research in many different fields, it can offer a broader range of backgrounds and expertise than most laboratories.
American Manganese Inc. is a critical metals company focused on the recycling of lithium-ion batteries with the RecycLiCo™ Patented Process. The process provides high extraction of cathode metals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and aluminum at high purity, with minimal processing steps. American Manganese Inc. aims to commercialize its breakthrough RecycLiCo™ Patented Process and become an industry leader in recycling cathode materials from spent lithium-ion batteries.
On behalf of Management
AMERICAN MANGANESE INC.
Larry W. Reaugh
President and Chief Executive Officer
Telephone: 778 574 4444
Email: [email protected]
www.americanmanganeseinc.com
www.recyclico.com
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SOURCE: American Manganese Inc.