The Three Fires Group, in partnership with Electra Battery Materials Corporation, has recently announced significant progress on the Aki Battery Recycling venture launched in 2024.
Electra Battery Materials has released a press release about this venture, which marks the first Indigenous-led recycling initiative for lithium-ion batteries in Canada. The First Nations-led Aki Battery Recycling is pioneering a local circular solution to manage battery waste while keeping pollution low.
The venture will see Aki processing lithium-ion batteries at end-of-life, as well as manufacturing scrap, via a module and battery pack dismantling system. The result will be high-grade steel, copper, and aluminum products, with leftover materials converted into high-value black mass.
Black mass consists of critical minerals, which are separated through a refining process to create saleable products. The company will return these to battery manufacturers, thus establishing a local circular supply chain.
Aki's president and First Nations member explained in the press release, "By reclaiming materials and minimizing waste, Aki embodies a regenerative model of economic growth that supports both people and planet. Through this venture, we are creating long-term opportunities, reclaiming ownership over our resources, and building an economy that is both clean and culturally grounded."
Three Fires Group is in charge of selecting a site for the environmentally friendly battery recycling center, which will be located in Southern Ontario (a city that currently has no capabilities for recycling batteries). Initially, the facility will ideally recycle enough battery scrap to supply 100,000 electric vehicles yearly.
By offering lithium-ion battery recycling, Aki will help local communities safely get rid of these batteries, which are often responsible for fires in garbage trucks and waste facilities.
Local communities will also benefit economically from the company's desire to create a circular local supply chain, as well as the potential job openings at the future facility. Best of all, Aki's desire to create a recycling supply chain with a minimal carbon impact will ensure cleaner air and water for these communities, potentially leading to fewer health issues.
Aki will also help reduce electric vehicle battery waste, thereby decreasing the amount of toxins that leach into surrounding soil and groundwater when these batteries aren't recycled. The critical minerals produced from the black mass will also minimize the resource depletion that so often results in unsafe mining operations.
Additionally, with local battery manufacturers utilizing recycled components, it could make future batteries more affordable for consumers. If used to make batteries for electric vehicles more affordable, more people could be encouraged to switch from standard vehicles, significantly reducing pollution that traps heat in the atmosphere.
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Aki's president summed up the venture's mission when he concluded,"We are building something that addresses both economic and environmental imperatives, while also putting Indigenous leadership at the center of the clean energy transition."
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