Indiana awards recycling grant to EMCO

Electrified Materials Corp. (EMCO), a wholly owned subsidiary of Fishers, Indiana-based American Resources Corp., has been awarded a $911,519 matching grant under the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s Waste Diversion Project, an initiative that aims to benefit the state’s economy by expanding recycling infrastructure, creating jobs and addressing supply chain challenges.

EMCO specializes in recycling metals in minerals for further refining into new steel-based, battery-grade and magnet-grade products. Currently, EMCO operates within the United States and traces its origins to reclaiming former thermal coal mines and industrial sites.

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By leveraging its regional logistics and infrastructure, along with its affiliation with another American Resources subsidiary, critical minerals refiner ReElement Technologies Corp., EMCO plans to expand its footprint in the steel, rare earth elements and critical battery materials markets. EMCO says it also remains committed to cleaning up old infrastructure left behind from the mining industry.

Through its work with ReElement, EMCO will preprocess scrap containing critical minerals, such as wind turbines, electric vehicle (EV) motors, lithium-ion batteries, consumer power tools and electronic scrap before supplying these concentrates to ReElement for further refinement into manufacturing-grade products ready to reenter the supply chain.

“As a proud Hoosier, we are excited to collaborate with the state of Indiana and our Department of Energy to drive innovation in the rare earth and battery materials marketplace,” says Mark Jensen, chairman and CEO of American Resources. “We commend Indiana’s Department of Energy for recognizing the importance of recycling in building a sustainable and resilient supply chain of critical minerals for national security. The leadership demonstrated by Indiana’s Secretary of Energy, Suzanne Jaworoski, and her team, is a true testament to effective public leadership.

“Our team is working relentlessly to address the needs of our defense industry, semiconductor manufacturers, magnets producers and auto OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], and Indiana has the potential to be at the forefront of this mission. This grant will play a key role in advancing the recycling technology necessary to innovate and efficiently meet the growing market demand.”

As previously announced, EMCO has formed a tri-party joint venture with India-based critical mineral producer Lohum Cleantech Ltd. and ReElement to develop circular magnet-grade and battery-grade mineral processing technology.