Innovation isn’t just about improving the current process; sometimes it’s about rethinking ‘waste’ and making it useful again. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have been working with Talon Metals on a new process to dramatically increase the number of electric vehicle (EV) batteries produced from mined nickel ore. The process uses mining waste as an input into another production process, which could then reduce mining waste overall and decrease U.S. reliance on other countries for battery materials.
Talon’s part has been focused on maximizing recovery of byproducts instead of sending them to waste piles. Talon plans to mine and process high-grade nickel ores which include iron compound byproducts. “We turned to Argonne to help us find a way to unlock more value from nickel deposits,” said Talon CEO Henri van Rooyen. “Increasing the overall yield of critical minerals for battery manufacturing translates into less disturbance of the earth for mining.”
“Our partnership with Talon Metals seeks to make more efficient use of critical minerals in domestic battery supply chains so that the U.S. can rely less on other countries to achieve its clean energy goals,” said Jeff Spangenberger, Argonne’s materials recycling group leader.