Metso offers battery materials support service

Metso Corp., a Finland-based global provider of mining and recycling technology and equipment, says it has modernized its pilot or testing facility at the Metso Research Center in Pori, Finland. The firm now offers “expanded capabilities for lithium hydroxide (LiOH) and other battery chemicals process testing.”

The new iteration of the pilot line serves mining and battery industry customers processing battery minerals, including battery materials precursor precursor cathode active material (pCAM).

“Pilot run requests for battery minerals like lithium, nickel and cobalt have increased significantly during the last three years,” says Janne Karonen, director for hydrometallurgical R&D at Metso. “Currently, we are working on several battery black mass recycling and precursor projects and have several lithium and other battery chemicals project pilots on our laboratory schedule.”

Metso says process simulations are essential in the piloting phase to support process and equipment design, training and plant operations. The firm can deploy its metallurgical digital Geminex process, which is based on the company’s “proprietary HSC-Sim software for predictive process simulations.”

“The pilot facility expansion complements Metso’s frontrunning piloting capabilities for minerals processing and metals refining, enabling minerals and battery industry customers to have end-to-end testing, piloting services and technology and equipment deliveries from one supplier,” the company says.

Metso says its technology and equipment can be applied to the entire lithium, nickel and cobalt production chain—from the mine to battery materials and black mass recycling—with project scopes ranging from equipment packages to plant deliveries.