American Battery Technology Company Announces Commissioning of First-of-Kind Facility for Manufacturing of Battery Grade Lithium Hydroxide from Nevada Claystone Deposit

Rhea-AI Summary

American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) has announced the commissioning of a first-of-its-kind lithium hydroxide pilot plant in Nevada, showcasing its internally-developed production process. The plant aims to access a domestic primary lithium resource and produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide for strategic customers, marking a significant milestone in the company's commercialization efforts.

Insights

Energy Sector Analyst

American Battery Technology Company is enhancing the United States’ capabilities in battery materials production, specifically in manufacturing lithium hydroxide from a domestic source. This advancement can potentially reduce reliance on imports and strengthen the local supply chain, which is a strategic advantage considering the current global competition for battery materials. The operational pilot plant is not only a technological proof of concept but also signals readiness to meet the demands of key industry players such as automotive OEMs and battery manufacturers. The success of these processes at a commercial scale could lead to a re-rating of ABTC's market valuation as investors reassess the company's growth trajectory.

Environmental Impact Expert

ABTC is positioned at the intersection of innovation and environmental stewardship with their lithium extraction and battery recycling technologies. The extraction from claystone, a less common source, implies potential environmental advantages over traditional hard rock or brine sources if it proves less intrusive or water-intensive. Moreover, the company’s recycling technology, which emphasizes low environmental impact, dovetails with increasing investor focus on sustainable practices. Close scrutiny of the environmental metrics of these operations will be important as ABTC scales up, as the ecological footprint of novel extraction technologies is a key concern for stakeholders.

Financial Analyst

The significant financial support from the U.S. Department of Energy underscores the importance of ABTC's projects in the broader context of national interests in securing battery materials. The pilots and planned commercial operations could lead to favorable economies of scale, influencing ABTC's bottom line. The potential for long-term offtake agreements provides visibility into future earnings and cash flow, which is a critical factor in financial modeling. Investors should monitor subsequent announcements for details on production costs, sale prices and contractual terms, which will impact the financial viability and profitability of the venture.

Pilot plant produces qualification samples for strategic customers and demonstrates commercial maturity of internally-developed production process

RENO, Nev., April 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) (NASDAQ: ABAT), an integrated critical battery materials company that is commercializing its technologies for both primary battery minerals manufacturing and secondary minerals lithium-ion battery recycling, announced the completion of construction and start of commissioning of its lithium hydroxide (LiOH) pilot plant marking a significant milestone in the commercialization of its internally-developed processes to access an unrealized domestic primary lithium resource.

"We're excited to have completed construction of this first-of-kind pilot demonstration system," stated ABTC CEO Ryan Melsert. "We have already generated thousands of liters of lithium solution from our claystone feedstock material demonstrating our selective lithium liberation technologies."

The construction and commissioning of this pilot plant enables ABTC to demonstrate its technologies for accessing the lithium housed in its unconventional resource, Tonopah Lithium Flats Project, in an integrated and continuous system, and to generate large amounts of battery grade lithium hydroxide for delivery to customers for qualifications and evaluation. The construction and operation of this pilot demonstration plant are supported by a competitively awarded grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for this $4.5M effort.

Testing and validation of the lithium hydroxide from the hundreds of tonnes of claystone material processed at this plant will be performed by prospective customers such as automotive OEMs, battery manufacturers, and cathode manufacturers. Over a dozen prospective strategic customers have already toured this pilot facility in recent months, and ABTC is currently evaluating opportunities for the long-term offtake of its battery grade lithium hydroxide.

Lithium products are generally manufactured from conventional resources, which include hard rock spodumene materials primarily from western Australia and lithium-rich brines primarily from South America, however the U.S. does not have large quantities of these developed conventional resources. In order to significantly increase U.S. production of battery grade lithium products, ABTC has been developing its Tonopah Flats Lithium Project (TFLP) with over 10,000 acres of lithium-bearing claystone resource which has been assessed to be one of the largest lithium resources in the U.S.

ABTC plans 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. In October 2022, ABTC was selected for an additional competitively awarded grant from the U.S. DOE for a $115M project to support the construction of this commercial refinery. ABTC has engaged one of the premier global construction firms, Black & Veatch, for the engineering, procurement, and construction of this commercial-scale lithium hydroxide refinery.

Concurrently, the company is also commercializing its first-of-kind technologies for its battery recycling operations and has successfully manufactured a large inventory of recycled battery metal products at its commercial-scale recycling facility in Storey County, Nevada.  ABTC's internally-developed recycling process utilizes an upfront strategic de-manufacturing process followed by a targeted chemical extraction train in order to recover battery materials with high yields, low cost, and with a low environmental footprint. These ABTC recycling technologies have won several competitive corporate awards and government grants and are fundamentally different than conventional methods of battery recycling, which generally utilize either high temperature smelting operations or non-strategic shredding systems.

Bringing first-of-kind technologies to market, ABTC's battery recycling and primary battery metals commercialization efforts support the buildout of a domestically-sourced battery metals circular supply chain.

About American Battery Technology Company 
American Battery Technology Company (ABTC), headquartered in Reno, Nevada, has pioneered first-of-kind technologies to unlock domestically manufactured and recycled battery metals critically needed to help meet the significant demand from the electric vehicle, stationary storage, and consumer electronics industries.  Committed to a circular supply chain for battery metals, ABTC works to continually innovate and master new battery metals technologies that power a global transition to electrification and the future of sustainable energy.

Forward-Looking Statements  
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking statements." Although the American Battery Technology Company's (the "Company") management believes that such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that such expectations are, or will be, correct. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company's future results to differ materially from those anticipated. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks and uncertainties related to the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; interpretations or reinterpretations of geologic information, unfavorable exploration results, inability to obtain permits required for future exploration, development or production, general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which the Company operates; the uncertainty of regulatory requirements and approvals; fluctuating mineral and commodity prices, final investment approval and the ability to obtain necessary financing on acceptable terms or at all. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is available in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2023. The Company assumes no obligation to update any of the information contained or referenced in this press release.

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SOURCE American Battery Technology Company

FAQ

What did American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) announce regarding its facility?

ABTC announced the commissioning of a lithium hydroxide pilot plant in Nevada for manufacturing battery-grade lithium hydroxide from claystone deposits.

What is the significance of the completion of construction and start of commissioning of the pilot plant?

The completion of construction and start of commissioning of the pilot plant marks a significant milestone in the commercialization of ABTC's internally-developed processes to access domestic primary lithium resources.

How is the pilot plant supported financially?

The construction and operation of the pilot plant are supported by a competitively awarded grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for a $4.5M effort.

What is the company's plan for further development of the technology?

ABTC plans to construct a commercial-scale 30,000 tonnes per year lithium hydroxide refinery at its Tonopah Flats Lithium Project property utilizing the system design developed at the pilot plant.

What other operations is ABTC involved in?

ABTC is also commercializing its first-of-kind technologies for battery recycling and has successfully manufactured recycled battery metal products at its recycling facility in Nevada.

How does ABTC's recycling process differ from conventional methods?

ABTC's recycling process involves strategic de-manufacturing followed by targeted chemical extraction to recover battery materials with high yields, low cost, and low environmental impact, unlike conventional methods.

What is the aim of ABTC's commercialization efforts?

ABTC aims to support the buildout of a domestically-sourced battery metals circular supply chain with its first-of-kind technologies for battery recycling and primary battery metals commercialization.