American Manganese prepares recycled cathode reactor products for independent analytical testing

American Manganese Inc (CVE:AMY) announced Friday that its initial recycled NCA product, produced by the company’s cathode reactor, has been prepared and shipped for independent analytical testing.

In a statement, the company noted that the cathode precursor material is a valuable input in the battery manufacturing process due to the fact that modern cathode chemistries are produced in fine-tuned chemical processes that have strict requirements for chemical composition, purity, particle shape, particle size, and uniformity. 

American Manganese said its goal is to ensure the cathode precursor material produced by its patented RecycLiCo process meets these high-quality benchmarks expected by tier-one battery manufacturers.

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The various technologies used to analyze the recycled cathode reactor products are:

• X-Ray Diffraction Testing (XRD) – identifies the structure of crystalline materials and compares it to an ideal material reference
• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) – scans samples with an electron beam to produce a magnified image that displays particle morphology, chemical composition, and orientation of materials
• Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Spectroscopy – detects and measures elements within the sample to determine material purity
• Particle Size Analyzer – determines the size and distribution of particles in the sample

“The cathode precursor is a key ingredient in the lithium-ion battery manufacturing process,” said CEO Larry Reaugh. “To be able to produce battery manufacturer-ready cathode precursors directly from recycled cathode scrap, with minimal processing steps, will be a significant milestone in our project’s development.”

The company noted that the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) has provided support and funding for this technical feasibility project, formally known as Synthesis of Cathode Material Precursors from Recycled Battery Scrap.

American Manganese said it expects to complete multiple iterations of cathode reactor testing and material analysis for both NCA and NMC cathode materials. These research steps will define optimal processing parameters such as temperature, pH, and pressure control before shipping samples for interested third parties. Results will be reported as received.

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