MONTREAL, June 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – Lithion Technologies (Lithion), a company that develops, deploys, and operates sustainable and innovative patented technologies to recycle lithium-ion batteries and create a circular supply of their strategic materials, announces the completion of the construction of its first commercial critical mineral extraction plant, Lithion Saint-Bruno, located in St-Bruno-de-Montarville, near Montreal, in Canada.

Over the past several months, its team worked tirelessly to build the first lithium-ion battery critical mineral extraction plant in North America’s north-east. Every piece of equipment has been installed, many of which were tailor-made to suit its unique technologies and processes. The company is now in the commissioning phase to ensure its innovative and patented processes operate safely and effectively. Lithion Saint-Bruno has a team of 20 Lithioneers, with the company’s mission to heart, to complete this important step. At full capacity, the plant will employ 60 people. 

During the plant construction, Lithion’s commercial activities progressed significantly with the signing of multi-year battery feedstock agreements, and the receipt of several batteries. The first battery treatment steps, such as dismantling, have also started. These strategic agreements involve local partners as well as large Canadian, American, and international corporations, all part of the electric vehicle ecosystem. More partnership discussions, as well as the continuous influx of recycling demands, confirm the critical and essential need Lithion meets.

This facility is the first of many to be built to make Lithion’s vision of enabling the whole world to be powered by the greenest batteries available a reality. The opening of a storage facility based in the USA will soon follow and discussions are underway between Lithion and business partners to deploy plants like Lithion Saint-Bruno in that country. Thanks to its expertise in transborder transportation and logistics, Lithion will supply its plants from that storage location while providing its partners a turnkey service, solving for them a complex and costly facet of lithium-ion battery recycling. A similar strategy is in action in Europe.

To create the circularity of battery materials, Lithion has developed a two-step recycling process with an environmental impact significantly smaller than mining. The first step, performed at Lithion Saint-Bruno, is the extraction of the critical minerals concentrate, or black mass, from batteries and non-conforming products from their production. Black mass is made of lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and graphite.

The second step is a hydrometallurgy process to separate and purify the black mass to produce strategic materials of the highest purity so they can be looped back into the production of new batteries. We are currently in the process of selecting the site for this plant.

“What an exciting achievement to have completed the construction of our first commercial plant”, expressed Benoit Couture, President and CEO of Lithion. “It’s a major milestone towards the realization of our dream of sustainably closing the loop of battery materials. And this is just the beginning. We will build more recycling plants, supplied by a network of battery collection and storage facilities, across Canada, the United States, and Europe to ensure the energy transition is a sustainable solution for the generations to come.”

“Today, we’re adding a new link to our integrated battery value chain. From mining to recovery, Québec stands out for producing the greenest battery in the world. The inauguration of the first commercial plant for Québec-based Lithion Technologies strengthens our industry and opens the door to a battery circular economy in Québec,” stated Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister Responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region.

“To ensure circularity and reduce pressure on resources and the environment, the energy transition underway in Quebec requires the creation of a value chain for our critical materials. I am happy to see the end of the construction phase of Lithion’s factory, which will ensure the recovery of electric batteries, and also salute the innovation demonstrated by the company » said Benoit Charette, Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, and Minister responsible for the Laurentides Region.

“Thanks to its strategic location, Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville has become a central hub in the North American supply chain, attracting innovative and ambitious companies, such as Lithion Technologies, that bring high-quality jobs here,” shared Ludovic Grisé Farand, Mayor of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville.

About Lithion Technologies

Lithion has developed a sustainable, robust, and safe solution to produce strategic materials from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and non-conforming products from their production. Lithion’s technologies enable the recovery of up to 95% of battery components, with an environmental impact significantly smaller than that of mining, to loop them back into the battery supply chain. Using Lithion’s sustainable technologies and processes reduces the demand for natural resource extraction, making the energy transition a sustainable solution. Lithion’s objective is the global deployment of its solutions via strategic partnerships. For more information, visit: www.lithiontechnologies.com.

SOURCE Lithion Technologies