American Battery Technology Company is a technology development and commercialization company in the battery materials sector of the lithium-ion battery industry.
The company is working to increase the domestic U.S. production of critical battery metals. To do so, the company is engaged in the exploration of new primary resources of battery metals, the development and commercialization of new technologies for the extraction and refining of these battery metals from primary resources, and the co...
American Battery Technology Company is a technology development and commercialization company in the battery materials sector of the lithium-ion battery industry.
The company is working to increase the domestic U.S. production of critical battery metals. To do so, the company is engaged in the exploration of new primary resources of battery metals, the development and commercialization of new technologies for the extraction and refining of these battery metals from primary resources, and the commercialization of an internally developed integrated process for the recycling of lithium-ion batteries for the recovery of battery materials. Through this three-pronged approach, the company is working to both increase the domestic production of these battery materials through the acquisition and exploration of mining claims, and to ensure that these constituent elemental metals are returned to the domestic manufacturing supply chain in a closed-loop fashion. In addition, the company is committed to operating its business in a safe and environmentally responsible manner by working with its employees, customers, vendors, and local communities to minimize its environmental impact, and comply with local, state, and federal environmental laws and regulations.
Business
Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling
The company has developed a universal lithium-ion battery recycling system that is capable of recycling batteries with both a wide range of form factors (packs, modules, cylindrical cells, prismatic cells, pouch cells, defect and intermediate waste cells, metal scraps, slurries, and powders) and of a wide range of cathode chemistries (lithiated cobalt oxide, lithiated nickel-cobalt-aluminum oxide, lithiated nickel-cobalt-manganese oxide, lithiated nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum oxide, lithiated nickel-oxide, and lithiated manganese-oxide) of various relative weighting of transition metals.
The company’s recycling system is a two-phase process: an automated de-manufacturing process followed by a targeted chemical extraction train to separate the individual high-value metals. The company intends to commission each phase in sequence. Phase 1, the automated de-manufacturing process, separates the components of battery feedstock material into its constituent components, including scrap metals and cathode and anode powders in the form of black mass filter cake. Scrap metals are then sold as byproducts under various offtake agreements or into the open scrap market. The black mass filter cake produced in this phase will also be sold under offtake contracts or into the open market. Upon commissioning of Phase 2, the black mass produced in Phase 1 will be fed into a proprietary chemical extraction train to extract lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese elemental metals and upgrade them to the battery cathode grade specifications demanded by high energy density cathode manufacturers. The commissioning of Phase 1 occurred in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 and the commissioning of Phase 2 is expected to occur in fiscal year 2025.
The company has acquired and leveraged the experience of several members of its leadership and implementation teams who worked on the design, construction, commissioning, and optimization of one of the largest lithium-ion battery manufacturing giga factories in the world.
Industry Collaborations
In September 2019, the company was selected as the sole winner of the battery recycling portion of the Circularity Challenge hosted by BASF, Stanley Black & Decker, and Greentown Labs. BASF is one of the largest high-energy density cathode manufacturing companies in the U.S. and one of the largest global purchasers of lithium-ion battery metal materials. BASF is one of the largest high-energy density cathode manufacturing companies in the U.S. and one of the largest global purchasers of lithium-ion battery metal materials. The company and BASF continue to explore several avenues of collaboration to accelerate the commercialization of the company’s lithium-ion battery recycling technology.
In October 2021, the company, as a co-grantee, received a competitively from the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC). USABC is a subsidiary of the United States Council for Automotive Research LLC and enabled by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The member companies include General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Stellantis NV.
Primary Resource Development & Refining
The company has been designing and optimizing its internally developed sustainable lithium extraction process for the manufacturing of battery cathode grade lithium hydroxide from Nevada-based sedimentary claystone primary resources. The company is conducting exploratory drilling programs on over 10,000 acres as part of its Tonopah Flats Lithium Exploration Project.
The company is conducting geological mapping, sampling, geochemical analysis, and proprietary extraction trials to characterize the resource and to quantify the performance of the lithium extraction and manufacturing operations. In parallel with the current exploration activities, the company is designing and constructing a multi-ton per day pilot scale facility to process sedimentary resource from the project. This facility is intended to demonstrate the commercial viability of the company’s extraction and refining processes. The company will continue to analyze the economic competitiveness of the project throughout the demonstration phases.
The company's extraction process utilizes a selective leaching process for the low-cost extraction of lithium from claystone sedimentary resources that allows for significantly lower consumption of acid, lower levels of contaminants in the generated leach liquor, and lower overall costs of production.
Industry Collaborations
In October 2021, the company, as the primary grantee, with DuPont Water Solutions as a sub-grantee, was awarded a competitive grant through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, Critical Materials Innovation program to advance the research, development, and commercialization of its technologies for the mining and manufacturing of battery grade lithium hydroxide from its lithium-bearing claystone deposits.
Research and development
The company’s research and development costs were $14.3 million for the year ended June 30, 2024.
History
The company was founded in 2011. It was incorporated under the laws of the state of Nevada in 2011. The company was formerly known as American Battery Metals Corporation and changed its name to American Battery Technology Company in August 2021.