American Battery Technology Company (ABTC), an American battery materials company, recently completed the acquisition of a commercial-scale battery recycling facility in McCarran, Nevada, as the company said it is working to close the loop on battery materials and address the growing demand for sustainably-sourced battery metals.
ABTC's said the purchase of the recycling facility accelerates the implementation of its pioneering lithium-ion battery recycling technologies.
According to ABTC, this facility will increase the company’s efforts in the recovery of end-of-life and scrap battery materials, transforming them into battery-grade metal products. These materials will be supplied to domestic partners, contributing to the establishment of a closed-loop battery material supply chain in North America.
ABTC wasted no time in preparing the 137,000-square-foot facility for operations. A short-term lease initiated in April allowed them to begin equipping the facility with essential infrastructure and utility equipment, much of which was already in place from the site's previous use for lead-acid battery recycling.
With the purchase transaction complete and the short-term lease utilized, ABTC has started installing its commercial-scale processing equipment and is gearing up for integrated system commissioning. In parallel, the company has developed stringent environmental, safety, and operational standards and procedures specific to the facility and technology.
ABTC's integrated battery recycling system employs strategic de-manufacturing and targeted chemical extraction processes to recover battery materials efficiently, affordably, and with a minimal environmental footprint.
This approach sets them apart from conventional battery recycling methods that rely on high-temperature furnaces or less strategic shredding and grinding systems, according to the company. ABTC's system results in the separation, recovery, and purification of high-value, battery-grade products with reduced environmental impact and potentially greater cost efficiencies.
The facility will be commissioned in phases as ABTC ramps up its integrated recycling processes.
Initially, battery materials will be recycled into products like copper, aluminum, steel, a lithium intermediate, and a black mass intermediate material. In the subsequent phase, the lithium intermediate will undergo further refinement into a battery-grade lithium hydroxide product, and the black mass intermediate material will be processed into battery-grade nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium hydroxide products.
ABTC supplies domestically manufactured critical battery metals to meet the increasing demand from the electric vehicle, electrical grid storage, and consumer electronics industries. ABTC's portfolio encompasses lithium-ion battery recycling, primary metal extraction technologies, and primary resource development.
