1. Argonne National Laboratory partners with Talon Metals to use mining waste in battery production
2. The partnership aims to increase domestic supply of nickel for lithium-ion battery manufacturing
3. Researchers are developing a process to use iron sulfides from Talon to synthesize LFP cathodes for EV batteries
Argonne National Laboratory has partnered with Talon Metals to develop a new process that uses mining waste for battery production. The aim is to increase the number of electric vehicle (EV) batteries produced from mined nickel ore and reduce U.S. reliance on other countries for battery materials. The partnership seeks to make domestic battery supply chains more efficient in order to achieve clean energy goals and reduce waste.
Talon Metals plans to mine high-grade nickel ore in the American Midwest and extract valuable by-product minerals, such as iron compounds, for use in North American lithium-ion battery manufacturing. The company aims to maximize the recovery of these by-products and enhance the production of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathodes. By collaborating with Argonne, they hope to improve the overall yield of critical minerals for battery manufacturing and minimize the impact of mining on the environment.
The research and development partnership between Argonne and Talon focuses on developing a process to synthesize LFP cathodes using iron sulfides from Talon’s operations. The goal is to create commercial-quality cathodes that could potentially outperform traditional cathodes. If successful, the project could significantly impact domestic battery supply chains by enabling U.S. battery manufacturers to adopt new LFP synthesis technology and make nickel mining and processing more profitable.