Electra Battery Materials Corporation (Electra), a listed Canadian battery material recycler, has announced the first customer shipment of nickel-cobalt produced from recycled battery material at its refinery complex, north of Toronto.

Electra commenced its black mass trial in December 2022 to validate its hydrometallurgical process in a plant-scale environment and to test its refinery equipment. Electra's accomplishments since the commencement of the black mass trial include:

• February 2023: Completed its first plant-scale recycling of black mass in North America and recovered critical metals needed for the EV battery supply chain using its proprietary hydrometallurgical process.

• March 2023: Recovered lithium from the battery recycling trial and produced a mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) with nickel and cobalt grades above market specifications.

• May 2023: Shared key findings from a desktop scoping study that included assumptions such as processing 2,500 tons of black mass annually using long-term metal price forecasts and achieving recovery rates consistent with historical performance. The study also accounted for committed capital of USD 9.2 million, including USD 5.9 million for capital costs and USD 3.3 million for working capital.

• June 2023: Received an investment commitment from the Three Fires Group to accelerate the company’s battery recycling strategy in North America.