We are delighted to announce that we signed a new contract with one of the world’s largest producer and marketer of nickel to supply circa 3,000 MT per year of MHP, with an additional pre-export finance package being finalised.

All battery gigafactories need nickel for their products, with growing attention on Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate (MHP) as the main intermediate material in battery production. Nickel-containing cathodes make batteries lighter, smaller and provide higher energy density, resulting in longer range electric vehicles.

At an existing hydromet plant, a battery recycling circuit will be integrated into its existing leaching refinery and will process battery waste from 24,000 EVs per year. Incremental capital costs to modify the flow-sheet to treat end-of-life electric vehicle batteries is substantially lower than a greenfield project.

There are few environmentally friendly options to recycle lithium-ion scrap in Europe given the capital expenditure required and the permitting timeline associated with building a hydrometallurgical facility such as ours, giving Altium Metals a first mover advantage.

The hydrometallurgical refinery will provide higher yields at a reduced cost and 25% lower carbon emissions, compared to incumbent pyrometallurgical facilities.

Strict environmental, social and governance criteria are a top priority for automakers and regulators to say their batteries are sustainably and responsibly produced with the lowest carbon footprints. The MHP supplied will have over a 50% lower carbon emission than virgin raw material mining, shipping and refining.

Altilium Metals is a UK based Clean Technology group supporting the shift of the global energy sector from fossil-based to zero-carbon. We believe the technology metals for the electrification of transport can come from existing waste streams, such as spent electric vehicle batteries and mi.