The studies are focusing on battery recycling using the Re-2Ox process, which is the only known hydrometallurgical process purposely designed to recover and recycle metals from lithium-ion, nickel-hydride and nickel-cadmium batteries.
Canada Silver Cobalt Works’ proposed facility would be the first in North America to use the Re-2Ox process
Canada Silver Cobalt Works said it has already received electrodes of a commercial-grade nickel-cadmium battery at SGS Canada to begin initial scoping studies. Next, bench-scale testing followed by pilot plant studies will be undertaken and the same procedure will be used on the other two battery types.
The Re-2Ox process will be used for selective leaching to enhance the recovery of metals. This is different from other recycling approaches which, typically, begin with the separation of the outer casing from the cells and combining the cathode and anode in the cell to create a powder referred to as “black mass.” The resulting blend from this non-selective process contains lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and graphite.
According to Canada Silver Cobalt Works, the process it will employ is unique, as very few recycling plants use hydrometallurgy exclusively. This means that its proposed facility would be the first in North America to use this method.
“The transition toward a circular economy requires ‘green’ battery technologies, however, true sustainability can only be achieved with an efficient way to capture valuable materials in spent batteries and divert them from landfills,” the British Columbia-based company said in the media brief.
