Euro Manganese Inc (ASX:EMN, TSX-V:EMN, OTCQX:EUMNF) has teamed up with Nano One® Materials Corp to validate its manganese metal, demonstrating it can be used as feedstock In Nano One’s metal to cathode active material (M2CAM) initiative.
In a nutshell, both parties have found a way to make cathode materials — the energy source in lithium-ion batteries — by processing Euro Manganese’s electrolytic manganese metal with Nano One’s patented One-Pot process.
EMN produced the electric vehicle-grade, high-purity electrolytic manganese metal at its pilot plant, using feedstock from its flagship Chvaletice Manganese Project in the Czech Republic.
From here, Nano One used its One-Pot process to create cathode materials and lithium carbonate directly from the metal-reducing the complexity, cost and environmental footprint tied to this kind of processing.
This early-stage milestone comes as demand for sustainably-sourced critical minerals rises across Europe and North America, where automotive battery developers are looking for environmentally conscious and differentiated supply chains.
By teaming Nano One’s cost-, waste- and carbon-curbing technology with its own manganese metal, Euro Manganese can fulfil a key role in the high-purity, battery-grade manganese product supply chain.
“Blazing the trail”
Commenting on the demonstration, Nano One CEO Dan Blondal said he was pleased to produce cathode materials from high purity metals like the electrolytic manganese from EMN.
“This strategy eliminates capital and environmentally intensive chemical conversion steps, eliminates large volumes of wasteful by-product and aligns us with legislation in North America and Europe to fast-track battery supply chains from secure and readily available sources of critical minerals,” he explained.
“Nano One has ambitious plans to be a participant in the battery-driven transformation of mobility and renewable energy storage, and we are pleased to be blazing this trail with Euro Manganese.”
“We are demonstrating the production of cathode materials made directly from high purity metals, and I am pleased to announce that we have now done so with electrolytic manganese metal from Euro Manganese.”
Becoming an environmentally responsible producer
Echoing Blondal’s comments on the validation, Euro Manganese CEO Dr Matthew James said: “We are delighted to be working with Nano One on developing ways to use our manganese metal in its ground-breaking process for making cathode active materials at a time when demand for high-purity manganese products is rising rapidly.
“Euro Manganese’s production process, which has the flexibility to produce both a high purity manganese metal product and a high-purity manganese sulphate product, allows us to adapt to meet demand from this important cost and environmental beneficial process developed by Nano One.
“Euro Manganese stands to become the leading environmentally responsible producer of high-purity, battery-grade manganese products and we look forward to commissioning our larger demonstration plant at our Chvaletice site in quarter four, 2022.
“We also look forward to a day when our manganese and Nano One’s cathode materials are an integral part of the world’s battery supply chain and help create a cleaner world by enabling the green energy transition.”