VAPOMET

Revenue from battery cells is expected to grow by more than 20% per year to 2030, reaching at least $360 billion USD globally. Later entrants in the cell manufacturing market will find it difficult to secure sufficient access to raw materials, such as nickel (Ni), that could become scarce if demand growth outstrips the current supply pipeline. So, a key issue for Canada and globally is securing battery cell materials. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) requirements and geopolitics may further limit the number of suppliers and volumes available.

 

Our vapometallurgy (Vapomet) project focuses on an old but overlooked technology: carbonyl refining a.k.a. the Mond process, suitable for production of high-purity Class 1 Ni. A unique feature of the proposed process is its feed-agnostic nature, allowing for a variety of Ni-containing feedstock, such as sulfide or oxide mined ores, black mass from battery recycling or scrap metal alloys. The few existing Ni carbonyl plants are based on decades-old technologies and significant opportunities exist to improve their performance. We also need to consider other sustainability dimensions, including ESG. For example, the Mond process lends itself to a closed-loop process, free of acids and liquid effluents, with relatively low energy requirements. In addition to Ni carbonylation, this project also considers the use of Ni carbonyl to produce high-purity nickel powder, nickel foam and other specialty nickel products, where we will test bench-scale reactors and design/simulate commercial scale reactors.

 

A key innovation in the design of these reactors is the heating process, e.g. using novel energy sources, gas precursor methods and reactor geometry, amenable to large scale advanced manufacturing processes. Our two main industry partners are Weber Manufacturing Technologies and Battery Grade Materials (BGM). Weber is a manufacturer of precision tooling for automotive, aerospace and building products, located in Midland, Ontario, that uses Ni vapometallurgy to produce molds in a process termed nickel vapour deposition (NVD). BGM is a specialty materials supplier to the battery and advanced electronic industry, headquartered in Joplin, Missouri. BGM specializes in the development of next-generation Ni-Zn batteries, and Ni foam is currently the most expensive component of the battery that is entirely sourced from Asia, as there are no North American producers.