Li-ion Battery Materials from Cape Breton Manganese Ore

Yava Technologies has a large mineral deposit on Cape Breton Island which contains substantial reserves of lead, manganese and other elements. The ore body is located in porous rock which makes "in-situ" mining possible. In such a process, a suitable leachant, in this case acetic acid, is injected into the ore body and collector pipes located around the injector pipe collect the leachate which now contains dissolved metals as acetates. There is no traditional mining with all its associated environmental impact.The goal of the research is to develop a cost-effective and environmentally-acceptable process to produce state-of-the-art LiMn2O4 for the Li-ion battery industry from the leachate produced by the Yava mine. This material will be compared "head-to-head" with LiMn2O4 from the best commercial vendors. The results and process will be transferred to Yava for scale up and commercialization.LiMn2O4 is currently produced at the rate of 3500 metric tonnes per year for the Li-ion battery market. Li-ion cells using LiMn2O4 are used in power tools, electric bikes and are targeted for use in for electrified vehicles. As an example LG Chemical will use LiMn2O4 in the Li-ion cells it is producing to the Chevy Volt. The need for LiMn2O4 is increasing rapidly with time.The Dahn group at Dalhousie University is a world-leader in the development of new materials for Li-ion cells and has the expertise needed to carry out this project in collaboration with Yava personnel.