American Manganese reports battery materials progress

Surrey, British Columbia-based American Manganese Inc. says it has successfully produced NMC-811 (nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide) “cathode precursor” lithium-ion battery material from recycled-content black mass using its RecycLiCo closed-loop process.

“These results are a continuation of earlier success where the company upcycled the same black mass sample into NMC-622,” states the firm, referring to an August 24, 2021, announcement. NMC-622 is another nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide formulation. (The number designation following NMC indicates the ratio of nickel, manganese and cobalt contained, e.g. the NMC-811 ratio is 80 percent nickel, 10 percent manganese and 10 percent cobalt).

“The production of NMC-811 and NMC-622 cathode precursor directly from the same lithium-ion battery black mass sample demonstrates RecycLiCo’s ability to adjust its product output to changing battery cathode precursor demands of future customers,” says Larry Reaugh, president and CEO of American Manganese.

“Our testing program aims to grow strategic partnerships with leaders in the electric vehicle (EV) and lithium-ion battery industry and we are pleased to demonstrate our practical and efficient solution for achieving high-quality cathode precursors with one closed-loop process,” he adds.

Following the recovery of the three-metal cathode precursor material, the RecycLiCo process separately extracts what American Manganese calls high-purity lithium while and usable process chemicals. “The closed-loop and value-added processing methods achieve low chemical consumption, good overall mass balance and refined final products that are key to lithium-ion battery manufacturing,” states the firm.

The black mass sample was sent by an EV manufacturer to confirm the viability of American Manganese’s patented process to extract valuable lithium-ion battery materials, says the company. The black mass was produced by mechanical size reduction of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries, resulting in a powder substance that contains critical battery materials, including lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, as well as copper, aluminum and graphite.

The solution produced after leaching the black mass is adjusted to the desired ratio of nickel, manganese and cobalt before the direct co-precipitation of the NMC-811 cathode precursor. Modern EV battery packs are predominantly shifting to higher nickel-containing cathode materials, says American Manganese. The firm says it “has demonstrated this essential processing flexibility to upcycle older EV battery materials into the next generation of lithium-ion battery cathode precursor materials.”