Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated which facility American Battery Technology Co. opened. It has been updated to state the company opened a pilot project in Storey County, Nevada, and to add further details about the facility.
Dive Brief:
- American Battery Technology Co. started operations at its Storey County, Nevada, pilot project dedicated to testing the production of battery-grade lithium hydroxide.
- The pilot is demonstrating technology that will be used at ABTC’s planned commercial project in Tonopah, Nevada, using claystone material from the upcoming facility. Sitting on 10,000 acres, the Tonopah project includes several facilities that ABTC is using to capture and process lithium hydroxide for use in lithium-ion battery cells, as well as recycle battery metal products.
- ABTC is currently evaluating customers for its battery grade lithium hydroxide supply, according to a company press release.
Dive Insight:
The company has already started using the pilot demonstration system, which is leveraging an integrated and continuous process to generate battery-grade lithium hydroxide. The testing and validation of the lithium hydroxide will be performed by prospective customers such as automotive, battery and cathode manufacturers.
"We have already generated thousands of liters of lithium solution from our claystone feedstock material demonstrating our selective lithium liberation technologies,” ABTC CEO Ryan Melsert said in a statement.
The construction and operation of the pilot demonstration plant is supported by a grant from the Department of Energy.
The upcoming Tonopah site sits on more than 10,000 acres of lithium-bearing claystone resource, which has been assessed to be one of the largest lithium resources in the U.S., according to the company.
On the same site, ABTC plans to build a $115 million commercial refinery that will produce 30,000 tons of lithium hydroxide per year, backed by $57 million in funding from an October 2022 DOE grant. ABTC will use global construction firms, Black & Veatch, for the engineering, procurement and construction of the refinery.
ABTC also opened a lithium-ion battery recycling plant in October 2023 in McCarran, Nevada, which will have the capacity to process 20,000 metric tons of battery feedstock materials per year for companies such as France-based BASF and battery maker Nanotech Energy.
Other battery makers are also investing in lithium hydroxide, known for providing a battery with higher energy density and a longer life cycle.
In February, WesCEF and LG Energy Solution expanded a partnership that includes producing lithium hydroxide at a project in Western Australia. The component will then be used in products at LG Energy Solution’s North America-based manufacturing facilities.
Critical mineral producer Piedmont is also developing an $800 million Tennessee lithium hydroxide plant, and in March, Albemarle invested $1.3 billion in a South Carolina lithium processing facility.
