Highlights
Battery cells were fabricated by Volt Carbon using a graphite anode produced from Green Battery’s Berkwood Graphite mineral deposit Zone 6.
The anode material was fabricated entirely from dry processing of the mineral samples provided to Volt; this could potentially lead to an enhanced ESG score and a significantly reduced carbon footprint.
The test data from Volt affirms the high quality and integrity of Green Batteries’ graphite mineralogy for LIBs.
The anode material was created by omitting several traditional costly processes, including flotation, acid purification, sphericalization, and graphitization.
The timeline from graphitic rock to anode and, ultimately, to a lithium-ion battery was less than 4 months due to the innovative proprietary processes employed.
Green Battery Minerals Inc. (” Green” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: GEM, FSE: BK2P, WKN: A2QENP OTC: GBMIF) and Volt Carbon Technologies Inc. (“VCT” or “Volt Carbon,” TSX-V: VCT, OTCQB: TORVF, BERLIN: WNF) are pleased to announce the test results of their LIB. (See Volt Carbon Technologies “VCT” News Release December 11th, 2023).
Volt Carbon Technologies Inc. is pleased to announce the commencement of battery anode development using graphite refined from Green Battery Minerals Berkwood property, accompanied by the release of initial test results affirming the high-grade graphite’s suitability for lithium-ion batteries.
Utilizing the super jumbo flake graphite concentrate derived from rock samples provided by Green Battery to Volt in July 2023, Volt’s Scarborough facility successfully executed a dry separation process, yielding a record-high total carbon content of 98.4%, as announced on August 15, 2023. Under the guidance of Dr. Aiping Yu, Volt’s newest Board Member and University of Waterloo Professor, the graphite underwent a straightforward mechanical reduction process to achieve battery-grade anode sizes without additional purification treatment.
This process used no harmful chemicals and did not go through two very costly and energy-consuming processes of sphericalizing and coating. These processes or variations may be added in the future to improve battery performance.
Dr. Yu’s team extensively characterized the graphite using techniques such as x-ray diffraction (XRD), Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), and scanning electron microscopes (SEM), confirming its suitability for further battery anode development. This involved coin cell fabrication through a straightforward micronization process applied to the flake graphite concentrate.
Subsequently, coin cells were manufactured alongside benchmarked samples of commercially available graphite anodes and are currently undergoing cycle testing at Solid Ultrabattery’s and the University of Waterloo’s labs. Initial coin cell testing revealed a capacity of 344mAh/g, achieved without any chemical processes under entirely dry handling conditions and without sphericalization and carbon coating. This highlights the efficacy of the mechanical reduction process and underscores the promising potential of sustainable dry-separated graphite for battery applications. With further process adjustments, the company aims to achieve results exceeding 360 mAh/g in the upcoming quarter.
The XRD and Raman shift plots below show the similarities of Green Batteries’ natural graphite structure against commercial battery grade anodes. The integrity of the graphite structure is evaluated by the ID/IG ratio of the samples. All of Green Battery’s samples showed approximately the same ratio as the commercial anode.
These outcomes mark the initial stride in optimizing Green Batteries graphite for lithium-ion batteries, reinforcing Volt Carbon’s commitment to advancing battery technologies, as explicitly stated in our July 24, 2023, press release. Volt Carbon remains dedicated to refining dry processes for converting Green Batteries’ materials into battery-grade anodes, maximizing value with our mineral processing agreement with Green Battery while driving significant technical progress in the North American battery materials supply chain.
“The constraints on graphite trade in North America have spurred our determination to innovate and develop resources sustainably and cost-effectively within the region. We have determined through testing that high-grade graphite mineral deposits provides significant advantages, making the processing to graphite concentrate and anodes much simpler compared to low-grade deposits. We’re on the brink of a great opportunity, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the upcoming results from our highly qualified technical teams”
V-Bond Lee, CEO of Volt Carbon Technologies
“We are very impressed with Volts’ air separation process. The air separation process maintains the integrity of the large flake, which has good Crystallinity and capacity for LIB.”
Tom Yingling, President and CEO
In July, Green Battery gave Volt 27 tonnes of graphitic material from its Berkwood Property. Volt has subsequently crushed, and air separated the graphite from that material, and created lithium-ion batteries with it.
About the Berkwood Graphite Project
The Berkwood Graphite Project is located within the jurisdiction of Quebec, in the Manicouagan Regional County Municipality, three hours driving time from the city of Baie-Comeau. Easy access is provided via a major secondary road and numerous tertiary and forest roads that traverse the property.
The Zone 1 graphite resource lies 8 km southwest of Nouveau Monde’s deposit, which has a $3.5 billion NPV on it. The Company believes its Zone 1 resource, and that of Nouveau Monde, share many similar geological characteristics, with Zone 1 being exceptionally high grade and coarse flake size by global standards.
The current mineral resource at the Berkwood Graphite Project includes in-pit constrained resources totaling 1,755,300 tonnes of indicated resources at 17.00 % Cgr and 1,526,400 tonnes in inferred resources at 16.39 % Cgr.
In-pit Resource at Lac Gueret South (Berkwood Graphite Project) (rounded numbers)
Current Resources (as of June 17th, 2019)
| Minerals Resources Category | Tonnage (Mt) | Grade (% Cgr) | Cgr (t) | Cut off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indicated | 1.76 | 17.0 | 299,200 | 6.81% |
| Inferred | 1.53 | 16.4 | 250,200 | 6.81% |
The mineral resource estimates above are described in the technical report entitled, NI 43-101 Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate on the Lac Gueret South Graphite Property, Quebec, Canada. With an Effective date of June 30th, 2019, by Edward Lyons, PGeo., Florent Baril, ing., and Claude Duplessis, ing.
Link to Report:
About the Company: Green Battery Minerals is managed by a team with over 150 years collectively with a proven track record of not just finding numerous mines but building and operating them too. The Green Battery Mineral management team’s most recent success is discovering the Berkwood graphite resource in Quebec. Green Battery Mineral owns this asset 100 percent, and the Company’s shareholders will benefit from this asset as the demand for Graphite for electric vehicles increases significantly.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Green Battery Minerals lnc.
‘Thomas Yingling’
President, CEO & Director
