American Manganese (AMY) has announced it will partner with the US Department of Energy to advance the economic recovery of Lithium-ion battery materials from electric vehicles and other consumer goods.

The multi-year project will see AMY work alongside two US national labs and leading universities focused on the creation of a circular economy for Lithium-ion batteries.

The project, formally titled “Lithium-ion Battery Disassembly, Remanufacturing, and Lithium & Cobalt Recovery Project,” focuses on developing an economic recovery strategy for critical materials in end-of-use lithium-ion batteries from electric and hybrid electric vehicles and other consumer goods such as electric bicycles and power tools. 

The project commences immediately, under the aegis of the Critical Materials Institute (CMI), an Energy Innovation Hub, led by Ames Laboratory and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Advanced Manufacturing Office.

Larry Reaugh, CEO of American Manganese, commented: “AMY is very pleased to become the first private-sector company to participate in this project.

“We’re honoured to be working with world-renowned national labs and leading U.S. universities on an issue that will dramatically impact our ability to meet rising material demand for lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel.”

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AMY’s partners include US National Labs:

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) - Located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, ORNL is the largest multidisciplinary science and energy national laboratory in the DOE system.

Idaho National Lab (INL) - located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, the nation’s leading centre for nuclear energy research and development performs work in energy systems, national security, science and environment.

Purdue University and Case Western Reserve University are also project partners.

American Manganese Inc. is a critical metal company with a patent approved process for the recovery of metals from lithium-ion batteries such as cobalt, lithium, nickel, manganese, and aluminum. Using a novel combination of reagents and unit operations, AMY can provide 100% extraction of cathode metals at battery grade purity. 

American Manganese Inc. aims to capitalize on its patent approved technology and proprietary know-how to become the industry leader in recycling spent electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries.