American Battery Technology Profile
American Battery Technology Company operates as 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.
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 is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2023 and the commissioning of Phase 2 is expected to occur in calendar year 2024.
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. As the winner, the company received seed funding, access to the Greentown Labs facilities, and the exploration of partnership agreements with the host companies. The company and BASF continue to explore several avenues of collaboration to accelerate the commercialization of the company's lithium-ion battery recycling technology.
Primary Resource Development and 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 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.
Properties
Tonopah Flats Lithium Exploration Project
The company holds the rights to 517 Unpatented Lode Claims near Tonopah, Nevada. On September 1, 2021, the company signed an exploration agreement with 1317038 Nevada Ltd., which gave the company exclusive access to explore 305 Unpatented Lode Claims in the Tonopah Mining District (Tonopah Flats) in Nye and Esmeralda Counties, Nevada. The agreement gave the company the right to explore the claims for critical battery materials. The agreement also gave the company the option to purchase the Claims upon expiration of the exploration agreement. The company completed its preliminary surface sampling of the property in February 2022 and proceeded with an exploration drilling program. In July 2022, the company exercised the option to acquire the rights to those claims. In total, the company holds approximately 10,340 acres in the region that it intends to explore for economic lithium deposits. On July 22, 2023, the company began a third exploration program to advance its Tonopah Flats Lithium Project.
Research and Development
For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, the company's research and development expenses were $7.7 million.
History
The company was incorporated under the laws of the state of Nevada in 2011. It was formerly known as Oroplata Resources, Inc. and changed its name to American Battery Metals Corporation in 2019. Further, the company changed its name to American Battery Technology Company.
