Lithium hydroxide is an ingredient in the cathode of lithium-ion batteries, which are used to power electric vehicles, electronics and other devices. (Source: Shutterstock)
Nevada-headquartered American Battery Technology Co. (ABTC) on June 18 said it has manufactured lithium hydroxide with internally-developed processing technologies from a U.S resource, reducing reliance on foreign entities.
Demonstration-scale quantities of lithium hydroxide was produced at ABTC’s integrated facility using lithium-bearing claystone material from its Tonopah Flats Lithium Project (TFLP) in Nevada, according to a news release.
Lithium hydroxide is an ingredient in the cathode of lithium-ion batteries, which are used to power electric vehicles, electronics and other devices. The U.S. is home to some of the world’s largest lithium deposits, but little of it mined domestically. Companies like ABTC are working to change as they pursue lithium projects amid the transition to cleaner forms of energy to reduce emissions.
“There are currently multiple corporations constructing multibillion-dollar facilities for the manufacturing of high energy density cathode active material within North America, and these facilities require large amounts of lithium specifically in the form of battery grade lithium hydroxide as their feed material,” stated ABTC CEO Ryan Melsert. “However, there are currently no commercial facilities within the U.S. to manufacture battery grade lithium hydroxide from U.S.-based resources.”
That is something ABTC aims to change. Having developed its own lithium hydroxide manufacturing technology, ABTC built a demonstration-scale facility with support from a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
“ABTC is working to further evolve this technology by constructing a commercial-scale 30,000 tonnes lithium hydroxide per year refinery utilizing this system design directly at its TFLP property, which has been identified as one of the largest lithium resources in the U.S.,” the company said.
Construction firm Black & Veatch has been selected to carry out engineering, procurement and construction of ABTC’s commercial-scale lithium hydroxide refinery.
Next steps will include strategic partners using lithium hydroxide in qualification processes as they look to negotiate long-term commercial-scale offtake agreements. The company said it is also commercializing technologies for its battery recycling operations and has manufactured a large inventory of recycled battery metal products at its recycling facility in Storey County, Nevada.
Recommended Reading
Classic Rock, New Wells: Permian Conventional Zones Gain Momentum
2024-12-02 - Spurned or simply ignored by the big publics, the Permian Basin’s conventional zones—the Central Basin Platform, Northwest Shelf and Eastern Shelf—remain playgrounds for independent producers.
First Helium Plans Drilling of Two Oil Targets in Alberta
2024-11-29 - First Helium Inc. has identified 10 other sites in the Leduc formation.
DNO Discovers Oil in New Play Offshore Norway
2024-12-02 - DNO ASA estimated gross recoverable resources in the range of 27 MMboe to 57 MMboe.
Freshly Public New Era Touts Net-Zero NatGas Permian Data Centers
2024-12-11 - New Era Helium and Sharon AI have signed a letter of intent for a joint venture to develop and operate a 250-megawatt data center in the Permian Basin.
DNO Makes Another Norwegian North Sea Discovery
2024-12-17 - DNO ASA estimated gross recoverable resources in the range of 2 million to 13 million barrels of oil equivalent at its discovery on the Ringand prospect in the North Sea.
Comments
Add new comment
This conversation is moderated according to Hart Energy community rules. Please read the rules before joining the discussion. If you’re experiencing any technical problems, please contact our customer care team.