Niks nieuws, toch?
Nano One Could Reduce GHGs by up to 60% for NMC, 50% for LFP and Reduce Water Use by up to 80%
December 6, 2023
Vancouver, Canada (TSX: NANO) (OTC: NNOMF) (Frankfurt: LBMB)
Highlights:
Nano One’s One-Pot Process demonstrates GHG advantages for both LFP and NMC when benchmarked against the complexity and energy intensity of conventional CAM processes operating in various jurisdictions.
Third party life cycle assessment (LCA) shows Nano One could reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) by up to 60% for lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC811) CAM, and up to 50% for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) CAM.
One Pot Process estimated to reduce process water consumption by up to 80% in LFP and up to 60% in NMC811.
Environmental benefits and competitive costs could enable sustainable, secure, and local supply of CAM, aiding the fulfillment of the United Nations Climate Change COP21 commitments of 2016.
Nano One® Materials Corp. (“Nano One” or the “Company”) is a clean technology company with a patented process for the production of lithium-ion battery cathode active materials (CAM). The Company is pleased to report that an independent life cycle assessment (LCA) of its proprietary One-Pot Process shows that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could be reduced by up to 60% for the production of nickel-rich NMC811 CAM and up to 50% for LFP CAM.
“The third-party LCA report shows that Nano One’s innovative One-Pot Process could cut GHG emissions significantly,” stated Nano One’s CEO, Mr. Dan Blondal, “and does so by reducing complexity and energy intensity, while also decreasing physical footprint and costs. By using sulfate-free input materials, Nano One also mitigates unsustainable wastewater and sodium-sulfate by-products. Engineering studies have also shown that the One-Pot Process uses up to 60% less water than incumbent processes. Collectively, these benefits help solidify the environmental advantages of Nano One’s technology, and position the Company with a leading, cost-effective solution to support a cleaner global transition to net-zero.”
Nano One commissioned Minviro Ltd. (“Minviro”), a leading independent LCA consultancy and technology firm, to complete a detailed LCA focused on GHG emissions emitted from cradle-to-end-product, including mining, concentrating, refining, and processing of raw materials into shipment-ready CAM. The report compares the production of NMC811 and LFP in various jurisdictions, made using incumbent processes to Nano One’s proprietary One-Pot Process. The potential for reduced emissions is valuable information as Nano One considers options for licensing, scale-up and expansion to align with market demands.
Minviro’s Dr. Robert Pell stated, “Life cycle assessment is more than a compliance requirement; it's an essential instrument for quantifying and helping reduce the environmental footprint of processes, products and technology. The LCA results for Nano One's One-Pot Process highlight the opportunity for innovations in cathode production to drive sustainability across the entire battery industry.”
LCA Report Results and Interpretation
The report shows that Nano One’s One-Pot Process could reduce GHG emissions by 30-60% for NMC811 and 25-50% for LFP, depending on jurisdiction and their energy sources. The reduced GHG emissions for both NMC811 and LFP are made possible by cleaner supply chains, lithium carbonate and sulfate-free metal feedstock, fewer process steps, and more efficient use of kilns, and by eliminating wastewater, sodium-sulfate by-products and their respective treatments.
The LCA report also shows that the One-Pot Process could generate (i) 50% fewer GHGs than conventional coal-powered LFP and (ii) 60% fewer GHGs than conventional coal-powered NMC811.
A 35 GWh cathode production facility would produce enough CAM for electric vehicle batteries to replace 470,000 gas-powered vehicles per year, and by using Nano One’s cleaner One-Pot Process, a plant of this size could save additionally on GHG emissions, up to the equivalent of another 95,000 gas-powered vehicles per year for LFP and another 250,000 gas-powered vehicles per year for NMC811.
Third Party Engineering Study on Water Usage
The LCA builds on previous studies showing the economic and environmental benefits of Nano One’s One-Pot Process. An internal study indicated the potential reduction of process water use by up to 80% for LFP while a third-party engineering study showed a potential for 60% savings for NMC811, representing a savings of approximately 4,300 litres of water per 75kWh electric vehicle. This amounts to 2 billion litres of water saved annually per 35 GWh cathode production facility, which is the equivalent of 800 Olympic size swimming pools per year.
Reducing process emissions and water use will help companies and the 196 parties that signed the Paris Agreement at the UN Climate Conference (COP21) in meeting their collective goal to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.