Electra recognizes the importance of moving towards a circular model for the use of the Earth’s resources. We are a Company built on principles of circularity and waste reduction as these are key components of our business strategy and operations.
We have successfully demonstrated a process which will be able to recycle end-of-life batteries and battery materials known as “black mass”, and turn them into useable, and valuable products. Our refinery process provides automakers with a circular solution to recycle their batteries and to source new batteries for new electric vehicles, reducing negative environmental impacts. Through our operations, we are minimizing waste and creating value, while also providing net positive solutions
Electra launched a black mass trial late in 2022 at our refinery to recover critical materials from black mass in shredded lithium-ion batteries and successfully operated this demonstration process throughout 2023 on a semi-continuous basis to maximize product recoveries. The battery recycling strategy is part of a multipronged development plan to supply battery-grade material to third-party cathode precursor manufacturers. To date the trial successfully extracted products containing lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, copper, and graphite.
Aki Battery Recycling is a joint-venture with Three Fires Group (TFG), a First Nations-owned investment group, focused on the recycling of battery waste in Ontario. Aki Battery Recycling will source and process lithium-ion battery waste from manufacturers to produce black mass at a state-of-the-art facility to be established in southern Ontario. The black mass will then be further treated using Electra’s proprietary process at its Ontario hydrometallurgical refinery to recover critical minerals, such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese and graphite that can be reintroduced into the battery supply chain, helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the EV supply chain and decrease reliance on foreign countries for critical minerals.
The Three Fires Group will lead the capital resourcing of the joint venture, as well as sourcing and determining the location for the future facility. Electra will provide technical and commercial leadership to the project.
As the demand for electric vehicles, energy storage systems and other advanced battery cells continues to surge, so does the need for innovative solutions to manage and repurpose battery waste. Localized production of black mass by Canada’s First Nations ensures participation in the energy transition by the very communities that will have battery manufacturing on their traditional territories.
