PERTH (miningweekly.com) – An engineering cost study (ECS) for the hydrometallurgical refinery (hub) section of a fully integrated lithium battery recycling plant, has estimated a capital cost of €274-million.

ASX- and Aim-listed Neometals on Tuesday announced joint venture (JV) company Primobius had completed the ECS for the hub, which would refine the black mass produced from the shredding, or spoke plant, to produce crystalline nickel, cobalt and lithium products.

A 2022 ECS into the spoke component of the lithium battery recycling plant estimated that it would cost some $103.9-million to develop, and would produce 12 000 t/y of black mass from a yearly throughput of 21 000 t/y.

Using the black mass from the spoke component of the plant, the refining hub will produce 9 300 t/ of hydrated nickel sulphate, 4 300 t/y of hydrated cobalt sulphate, 1 600 t/y of lithium fluoride, 7 000 t/y of manganese sulphate, 40 t/y of copper metal and 23 400 t/y ammonium sulphate.

The refining hub will have a yearly operating cost of €56-million, in addition to the €27.1-million yearly operating cost from the spoke component.

“Successful completion of the Hub ECS enables our current and future customers and partners to quantify the economic benefits of Primobius’ sustainable 'closed loop' lithium battery recycling plants,” said Neometals MD Chris Reed.

“Primobius is expeditiously advancing towards product readiness for its near 50 t/d recycling plants and is anticipating our maiden plant award this quarter from Mercedes Benz for an integrated 10 t/d plant.

“Primobius’ primary business model is for the sale of recycling plants under technology licensing agreements to generate a portfolio of battery material royalties. We retain the flexibility to enter into JVs where a customer also requires operation and maintenance services and can also provide complete 'closed loop' recycling as a service through our current Hilchenbach operation or a new dedicated plant.”