Market
July 5, 2023
New recycling plant ‘to provide first MHP in US’
Industry newcomer Nth Cycle has commissioned its innovative Oyster refining plant in Fairfield, Ohio, to recover nickel and cobalt from metal scrap, electronics waste, untapped mining resources and refinery waste.
The recycling operation is based on the company’s patented electro-extraction technology which produces a mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) product, a first in the US according to Massachusetts-based Nth Cycle.
“Until now, there has been no domestic production of MHP in the United States, with battery manufacturers instead relying on inconsistent supply and quality from unstable countries with questionable working and environmental conditions,” the company said.
The company claims its Oyster process produces MHP comprising more than 90% nickel and cobalt, versus 30% to 40% nickel and 1% to 6% cobalt typically available on the market at present, and that electro-extraction is cleaner and more efficient than traditional pyrometallurgy (smelting) operations.
