US metal refining and recycling company Nth Cycle has begun operations in Fairfield, Ohio to produce premium nickel-cobalt mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), which is an essential component in a number of clean-energy, consumer and military applications.
The plant was installed at an existing 20,000-square-foot facility, and can process up to 3,400 tons of scrap materials to produce up to 992 tons of MHP per year. It will also serve as a test site for company partners. The company says the opening of the plant will reduce US reliance on China for MHP supply.
Nth Cycle says its modular Oyster system, by co-locating and operating on-site with recyclers, manufacturers and miners, can eliminate the need to build stand-alone refining facilities. Thus it will reduce not only costs but such factors as transportation, time-to-market, emissions and waste. The electro-extraction technology converts recyclable industrial waste and mined ore into a variety of critical metals using electricity rather carbon-fuelled pyrometallurgy.
“As the world becomes increasingly reliant on the critical metals that are the backbone of an electrified economy, it’s clear that the sourcing of those materials must be as clean and efficient as the future we imagine. A clean, unfettered and cost-efficient supply chain of nickel and cobalt, or MHP, accelerates our path to that future,” said Megan O’Connor, co-founder and CEO of Nth Cycle.
Source: Nth Cycle
