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First Cobalt begins study of ‘black mass’ material from recycled batteries

Published: 09:25 17 Feb 2021 EST

First Cobalt - First Cobalt begins study of ‘black mass’ material from recycled batteries
It believes the refinery could recover cobalt, nickel, copper and potentially lithium and manganese, in addition to planned cobalt production from primary feed

First Cobalt Corp (CVE:FCC) (OTCQX:FTSSF) (FRA:18P) announced Wednesday that it has begun a study of “black mass” material from recycled batteries as a supplemental source of feed for its hydrometallurgical refinery north of Toronto.  

The company said it believes the refinery could recover cobalt, nickel, copper, and potentially lithium and manganese -- in addition to planned cobalt production from primary feed. Discussions are underway with several producers of black mass. 

First Cobalt is currently in the preconstruction phase of its refinery expansion project that will result in annual production of 5,000 tonnes of cobalt contained in a battery-grade cobalt sulfate, starting in the fourth quarter of 2022. The refinery previously recovered nickel, copper, and cobalt. 

READ: First Cobalt makes two key corporate appointments to help advance its Iron Creek copper-cobalt project in Idaho

The company said the study will leverage these processes and existing infrastructure. Incremental capital costs to modify the flow-sheet to treat black mass and recover other battery raw materials are expected to be substantially lower than a greenfield project.

Highlights include:

  • Its battery recycling circuit would be integrated into its primary cobalt sulfate refinery and operated by the same team; 
  • The company's hydrometallurgical refinery is expected to provide higher yields at a lower cost and at significantly lower energy intensity, compared to traditional pyrometallurgical facilities;
  • The refinery is 100% powered by clean, hydroelectric power from Ontario Power Generation, resulting in nearly zero greenhouse gas emissions; and
  • Closed-loop recycling of lithium-ion batteries will serve the electric vehicle market in North America and Europe and in the short term will benefit from the higher availability of cobalt-rich consumer electronics.

"This initiative advances our vision of producing the world's most sustainable cobalt while broadening the potential revenue streams to include other battery materials,” said CEO Trent Mell in a statement.

“Automakers are looking for a closed-loop supply chain for their batteries and the proposed recycling process at the First Cobalt Refinery presents a compelling solution to move to a circular model for recycling end-of-life batteries and battery manufacturing scrap.”

Mell added: “Pursuing this project in tandem with the current cobalt sulfate production circuit would yield much lower capital and operating costs than a standalone greenfield recycling plant. Our hydrometallurgical process is expected to be more efficient and better for the environment than many of the established recycling processes."

Lithium-ion battery recycling

First Cobalt noted that end-of-life lithium-ion batteries are initially discharged before being disassembled. Battery cells are then typically subject to a mechanical process involving crushing, sorting, and sieving to produce a powder substance referred to as "black mass." 

Black mass contains a variety of valuable metals including cobalt, nickel, copper, lithium, manganese, aluminum and graphite. Outside China, the predominant means of recovering metal from black mass is through an energy-intensive pyrometallurgical process that involves calcining, roasting and smelting.

Metal recovery from black mass through a hydrometallurgical process such as that owned by First Cobalt, whereby metals are dissolved and separated, is more efficient and environmentally friendlier than a pyrometallurgical process. The hydrometallurgical process is expected to become the preferred approach to recycling as EV-penetration rates continue to climb.

Scope of study

First Cobalt said that the scoping study will initially consider two scenarios. Under a base case scenario, Ausenco Engineering Canada Inc will consider existing infrastructure as well as equipment currently installed at the refinery. Prior to 2015, the existing flow-sheet could process 4,200 tonnes of feed per annum to produce cobalt carbonate, nickel carbonate, and a copper intermediate product. This scenario will utilize existing infrastructure and equipment that is not required for the cobalt sulfate expansion process that is currently underway.

The second phase of the study will consider additional equipment required to take all material streams to a battery-grade product. Under this scenario, opportunities for lithium, manganese, aluminum and graphite as revenue streams will be explored.

The company said SGS Lakefield will conduct metallurgical test work on black mass feed material. Preferred feed material are cathodes from lithium cobalt oxide, nickel manganese cobalt, and nickel cobalt aluminum batteries.

Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham

 

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