Nth Cycle begins operations of first domestic commercial-scale nickel and cobalt scrap refining system in Fairfield, Ohio
PRESS RELEASE: Nth Cycle, the globally recognized critical metal refining company, has made history as the first company in the United States to produce premium nickel cobalt MHP - a mandatory component for multiple clean-energy, consumer and defense markets. In less than 12 months, the company installed and operationalized its groundbreaking Oyster system at an existing 20K square foot facility in Ohio to process black-mass and other nickel scrap, serve as an independent test site for partners, and end the country's decades-long supply-chain reliance on China. The company commemorated the launch with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 9th, 2024 attended by Congressman Brad Wenstrup, officials with the US Department of Energy, Fairfield Mayor Mitch Rhodus, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, State Representative Jennifer Gross, and partners of Nth Cycle.
Unlike other refining methods - both overseas and domestic - Nth Cycle's Oyster can co-locate with recyclers, manufacturers, and miners on-site, eliminating the years of permitting and billions of dollars needed to build a stand-alone refining plant, while dramatically reducing transportation, time-to-market, cost, emissions and waste. With Nth Cycle's patented electro-extraction technology, the Oyster, converts recyclable industrial waste and mined ore into the full spectrum of critical metals using electricity - not fossil fuels. This revolutionary innovation replaces pyrometallurgy with one of the cleanest technologies in the world, and accelerates the net zero targets of the public and private sector.
"In less than 12 months, we've installed and operationalized our state-of-the-art Oyster system, creating the first commercial domestic source of high-quality nickel and cobalt MHP from scrap," said Megan O'Connor, co-founder and CEO of Nth Cycle. "This system not only helps to end decades of U.S. reliance on foreign supply chains, but also sets a new standard for modular, sustainable, high-purity critical metals production."
The Oyster reduces greenhouse gas emissions by >90% compared to traditional mining methods, and helps manufacturers meet the Inflation Reduction Act's strict domestic sourcing requirements for electric vehicles. In Ohio, the one unit installed can process up to 3,100 tonnes of scrap materials to produce up to 900 tonnes of MHP per year (equivalent to upwards of 22 million cell phone batteries), and allows partners - including recyclers, OEMs, and Fortune 500 automotive, consumer, and electronics giants – to validate its effectiveness in advance of co-location.
Located in Fairfield, a designated Disadvantaged Community per the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, the facility will create new jobs and provide critical opportunities in the expanding clean energy market.
National Significance
Critical metals are central to the country's future: from electric vehicles to the electric grid, from computers to phones to aviation, defense, and public transit. While the United States has resources rich with these metals, there has been no refining capability to separate and extract them for end-use. As a result, 85% of the country's critical metal refining is done in China. This dependence has created a national crisis which is now central to the country's highest strategic priorities: the DOE has identified refining as the most urgent gap in the lithium-ion battery supply chain, and legislation has been passed and introduced to address the threat it poses to the country's economy and national security. Nth Cycle's solution provides compliance with the Inflation Reduction Act, was awarded a $7.2m 48C tax credit for the Ohio facility under its Advanced Energy Project Tax Credit program, and is aligned with the goals of related bi-partisan initiatives.
About Nth Cycle
Nth Cycle is the industry leader in metal refining and at the forefront of revolutionizing the country's domestic supply chain and clean-energy economy. Featuring its patented electro-extraction technology, the company's Oyster system can co-locate with recyclers, manufacturers, and miners to recover the full spectrum of critical metals from end-of-life batteries, scrap metal and ore. The company's solution is modular, supports multiple industries, and represents one of the biggest sustainability advancements in history. Nth Cycle has headquarters in Burlington, MA, a Commercial Production Site for Partners in Ohio, and is the first company in the United States to produce Nickel Cobalt MHP at commercial scale.
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SOURCE Nth Cycle