Neometals Ltd: - First Commercial Battery Recycling Plant Commissioned
HIGHLIGHTS
- Primobius has successfully commissioned it commercial 10tpd Shredding Plant enabling it to commence commercial operations in Q1 2022, subject to board approvals;
- Federal environmental permit imminent and battery feed supply arrangements advancing;
- Primobius’ strategy is to secure market share by focussing on potential partners and customers with direct access to large volumes of production scrap and end-of-life feedstocks; and
- Class 3 Engineering Cost Studies on the larger 50tpd Stage 1 – Shredding and Stage 2 – Hydrometallurgical refinery plants will be completed by the end of January and June respectively.
Innovative project development company, Neometals Ltd (ASX: NMT) (“Neometals” or “the Company”), is pleased to announce the material progress made by Primobius GmbH (“Primobius”), the joint venture (“JV”) company owned 50:50 by Neometals and SMS group GmbH (“SMS group”), with its strategy to fast-track commercial operations in Hilchenbach Germany. Primobius has successfully commissioned the newly expanded shredding and beneficiation circuit of its demonstration plant. This enables the commencement of a 10tpd battery disposal recycling service in Q1 2022 (“10tpd Shredding Plant”). Primobius is continuing its operational readiness activities ahead of the receipt of its Federal environmental (emissions) licence and commercial battery disposal agreements to ensure feed supply for the operation.
As foreshadowed by Neometals the fast tracking of commercial activities is a direct response to the demands of the EV and cell manufacturers immediate demand for safe disposal services (for full details refer to Neometals ASX announcement entitled “Primobius to fast-track commercial battery recycling operations” released on the 19th August 2021). A recycling service which can be expanded in scale and scope to include a sustainable hydrometallurgical refinery to recover and regenerate battery-grade metal sulphate chemicals for re-use in new battery production, satisfying their ambitions and future regulatory requirements to ‘close the loop’. Primobius 10tpd Shredding Plant will generate revenues from the receipt of fees to dispose of the batteries and the sale of intermediate active materials (“Black Mass”) and further de-risk the technology by demonstrating its operational capability at a commercial scale.
Image 1 - Commissioning with EV cells
Primobius’ strategy is to aggressively secure market share through focusing on potential partners and customers with direct access to large volumes of feedstock. The company’s flexible business model can deliver a multiple spoke and hub plant configuration recycling solutions at the scale, location and timing required.
Neometals’ Managing Director Chris Reed commented:
“Firstly, I’d like to congratulate SMS for delivering this showcase of German engineering, it heralds the entry of Primobius into the European battery supply chain. Our solutions for the safe disposal and sustainable recycling of lithium-ion batteries coupled with our flexible business models make Primobius a compelling value proposition for potential customers and a formidable competitor to the incumbent recyclers”.
Image 2 - EV cell inside Primary Shredder
Image 3 – Copper and Aluminium sheet recovery
Authorised on behalf of Neometals by Christopher Reed, Managing Director
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Chris Reed
Managing Director
Neometals Ltd
T: +61 8 9322 1182
Jeremy Mcmanus
General Manager - Commercial and IR
Neometals Ltd
T: +61 8 9322 1182
About Neometals Ltd
Neometals innovatively develops opportunities in minerals and advanced materials essential for a sustainable future. With a focus on the energy storage megatrend, the strategy focuses on de-risking and developing long life projects with strong partners and integrating down the value chain to increase margins and return value to shareholders.
Neometals has three core projects that support the global transition to clean energy and span the battery value chain:
Recycling and Resource Recovery:
- Lithium-ion Battery Recycling – commercialising a proprietary process for recovering nickel, cobalt and other valuable materials from spent and scrap lithium batteries. In a 50:50 incorporates JV with SMS group called Primobius GmbH. Targeting commencement of commercial operations in 10tpd plant in Germany in the MarQ 22 and a development decision on larger 50tpd plant in July 2022; and
- Vanadium Recovery – sole funding evaluation studies to form a 50:50 joint venture with Critical Metals Ltd to recover high-purity vanadium pentoxide from processing by-products (“Slag”) from leading Scandinavian steelmaker SSAB. Underpinned by a 10-year Slag supply agreement, Neometals is targeting an investment decision to develop a 200,000tpa processing plant in DecQ 2022.
Upstream Industrial Minerals:
- Barrambie Titanium and Vanadium Project - one of the world's highest-grade hard-rock titanium-vanadium deposits, working towards a development decision in 2022 with potential operating JV partner IMUMR and potential cornerstone product off-taker, Jiuxing Titanium Materials Co.
