Nth Cycle begins production of commercial nickel and cobalt from scrap

In less than 12 months, the company installed and operationalised its Oyster system at an existing 20 000 ft² facility in Ohio to process black-mass and other nickel scrap, serve as an independent test site for partners, and end the country’s decades-long supply-chain reliance on China. The company commemorated the launch with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on 9 September 2024 attended by Congressman Brad Wenstrup, officials with the US Department of Energy, Fairfield Mayor Mitch Rhodus, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, State Representative Jennifer Gross, and partners of Nth Cycle.

Unlike other refining methods – both overseas and domestic – Nth Cycle’s Oyster can co-locate with recyclers, manufacturers, and miners on-site, eliminating the years of permitting and billions of dollars needed to build a stand-alone refining plant, while dramatically reducing transportation, time-to-market, cost, emissions, and waste. With Nth Cycle’s patented electro-extraction technology, the Oyster, converts recyclable industrial waste and mined ore into the full spectrum of critical metals using electricity – not fossil fuels. This revolutionary innovation replaces pyrometallurgy with one of the cleanest technologies in the world, and accelerates the net zero targets of the public and private sector.

“In less than 12 months, we’ve installed and operationalised our state-of-the-art Oyster system, creating the first commercial domestic source of high-quality nickel and cobalt MHP from scrap,” said Megan O’Connor, Co-Founder and CEO of Nth Cycle. “This system not only helps to end decades of US reliance on foreign supply chains, but also sets a new standard for modular, sustainable, high-purity critical metals production.”

The Oyster reduces greenhouse gas emissions by >90% compared to traditional mining methods, and helps manufacturers meet the Inflation Reduction Act’s strict domestic sourcing requirements for electric vehicles. In Ohio, the one unit installed can process up to 3100 t of scrap materials to produce up to 900 t of MHP per year (equivalent to upwards of 22 million cell phone batteries), and allows partners – including recyclers, OEMs, and Fortune 500 automotive, consumer, and electronics giants – to validate its effectiveness in advance of co-location.

Located in Fairfield, a designated Disadvantaged Community per the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, the facility will create new jobs and provide critical opportunities in the expanding clean energy market.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/12092024/nth-cycle-begins-production-of-commercial-nickel-and-cobalt-from-scrap/