American Battery Metals Corporation (OTCQB:ABML) (the “Company”), an American-owned lithium-ion battery recycling and advanced battery metal extraction technology company with extensive mineral resources in Nevada, which is in the process of changing its name to American Battery Technology Company, is pleased to provide the following progress update on its work and the development of its lithium-ion battery recycling pilot plant facility.
American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) finished the detailed design of its integrated lithium-ion battery recycling processing train over a year ago. Since then the company has been focusing on scaling and commercializing its recycling process through development of a pilot plant in Fernley, Nevada. Through work at the Greentown Labs facility, its technology team that includes Chief Technology Officer Ryan Melsert, Principal Chemical Engineer August Meng, and Senior Chemist Axel Drefahl has been generating sample material (battery grade metals that will be produced at its pilot plant) to deliver to cathode manufacturers to move through their internal supplier qualification processes. The company has also continued progress over the past month, as outlined below, in developing its lithium-ion battery recycling pilot plant.
Water Rights Closings:
ABTC closed on the acquisition of 55 acre-feet/year of water purchased from three separate sellers. American Battery Metals Corporation anticipate closing an additional 61.635 acre-feet/year by the end of this month with 5.175 acre-feet/year more closing next month. These water rights occur in the Fernley Area of Nevada Hydrographic Basin 76, and ensure its lithium-ion battery recycling pilot plant will have adequate water to operate at full capacity.
Geotechnical Investigations:
Final geotechnical investigations will occur on the Fernley pilot plant site this coming Thursday and Friday. Three infiltration tests will be performed. Data gathered from these tests will inform its pilot plant foundation design. An excavator will be on site to excavate test pits and also a water truck to supply water for the testing. Completion of the final geotechnical investigation will enable the Miles Construction team to finish grading plans and submit grading permit applications to the City of Fernley. It is expected that grading permit applications will be submitted in April and that grading operations will commence in May.
Request for Confidentiality to Protect Company IP in Permitting Process:
On February 25, 2021 the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection approved ABTC’s “Request for Confidentiality for New Class II Air Quality Operating Permit”. This agreement ensures that its highly proprietary integrated lithium-ion battery recycling processing train intellectual property will remain confidential throughout the environmental permitting process for its pilot plant. American Battery Metals Corporation is currently working towards the submittal of a Class II Air Quality Operating Permit Application under these approved confidentiality guidelines.
Conditional Use Permit Application:
The City of Fernley (“City”) is currently reviewing ABTC’s Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application for the lithium-ion battery recycling pilot plant. The ABTC and Miles Construction teams continue to engage with City staff, and the pilot plant CUP application is tentatively scheduled for discussion at the Fernley Planning Commission meeting in mid-May.
New Development Center at Nevada Center for Applied Research at the University of Nevada Reno:
ABTC had planned to solely focus on scaling up its recycling operations in the coming year, however when it was selected for a grant from the US DoE Advanced Manufacturing Office in late January, 2021 for primary lithium extraction and cathode specification hydroxide manufacturing from sedimentary resources technologies, American Battery Metals Corporation had to pivot and bring on new resources. American Battery Metals Corporation is now accelerating its primary lithium extraction development efforts in line with this government grant program and with its corporate partners. The team has secured new laboratory and development space at the University of Nevada Reno Applied Research Facility to build out these larger prototype systems throughout the rest of this year until American Battery Metals Corporation is ready to build its multi-ton per day field units next year to further support this grant program.
Carlos Cardillo, Director of Nevada Center for Applied Research (NCAR) at University of Nevada Reno welcomed ABTC to the Applied Research Facility, “American Battery Technology Company is a new NCAR affiliated corporation, a domestic manufacturing of low-environmental impact and low-cost lithium-ion battery metal feedstocks. It is encouraging to have a global leader with innovative, sustainable technologies on campus!”
ABTC looks forward to continuing its work to become an industry leader in the production of battery metals that will fuel the new energy revolution and to put in place a circular economy for critical materials in the United States and beyond.
American Battery Metals Corporation Provides Update on its Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Pilot Plant, press release March 24, 2021
