A GLOBAL Battery Recycling Company
Critical Mineral Recovery™ (CMR) has the capacity to process more than 60,000 tons of electric vehicle and consumer-grade lithium-ion batteries. The state-of-the-art 225,000 square foot processing facility in Fredericktown, Missouri, USA is one of the largest lithium-ion battery processing facilities in the world.
The Critical Mineral Recovery™ recycling process reclaims strategic metals and critical minerals (copper, nickel, cobalt, lithium, manganese, and aluminum) from lithium-ion battery scrap. The recovered commodities are then marketed for further refining to be reintroduced into the battery manufacturing supply chain. CMR has the unique ability to return commodity units that were lost in the initial manufacturing process to OEMs in the form of recycled material.
About CRITICAL MINERAL RECOVERY™
Critical Mineral Recovery™ is a battery processor 100% dedicated to servicing Interco Trading, Inc.
Interco is an American global recycling company that specializes in the placement of smelter-ready
materials around the world through established partnerships with end consumers in the
United States, Europe, Asia, and South America.
Interco has relationships and partnerships with the largest lithium-ion battery manufacturers
throughout North America and Europe. Additionally, Interco sources lithium-ion batteries and battery
related materials from dealers, recyclers, and battery processors worldwide.
The Critical Mineral Recovery™ battery processing capability directly benefits from Interco’s ability to
provide CMR with a continuous raw material supply and competitive market sales for its end products.
Likewise, the considerable Critical Mineral Recovery™ processing capacity and high-grade, mixed metal
concentrate product give Interco a competitive advantage in the battery materials market. This symbiotic
relationship allows CMR and Interco to play a key role at each stage of the secondary battery materials
supply chain, fueling the energy transition.
Critical Mineral Recovery™ is committed to ensuring that these
strategic metals and critical minerals are recycled
and reused in the United States, a commitment the
company proudly executes in Fredericktown, Missouri.
CAPABILITIES + PROCESS
The proprietary Critical Mineral Recovery™ technology and recycling processes discharge, dismantle, and mechanically separate metallic substrates into a mixed metal concentrate (MMC) creating chemistry-specific metal-unit raw material packages for end consumers.
The high-grade MMC powder produced by Critical Mineral Recovery™ contains nickel, cobalt and lithium delivering consistent metal chemistries, resulting in high quality, reliable feed for smelters and hydrometallurgical refineries.
Critical Mineral Recovery™ employs both a custom-engineered resistive system and an industrial-scale immersive process to discharge up to 250 tons of lithium-ion batteries per day.
Disassembly
The Critical Mineral Recovery™ team disassembles EV lithium-ion battery packs isolating the cells for further processing. The remaining aluminum, copper, steel, and electronic components are processed, sorted, segregated, and packaged for traditional recycling downstreams.
Mechanical Separation
The Critical Mineral Recovery™ plant operates three mechanical separation lines with the ability to process eleven metric tons per hour ─ up to 6,000 tons of lithium-ion batteries and related materials per month. The size reduction and mechanical separation process liberates materials and separates them for further processing and packaging in bulk bags and gaylord boxes for shipments.
Mixed Metal Concentrate
The Critical Mineral Recovery™ facility produces a Mixed Metal Concentrate (MMC) containing critical minerals and metals to be reintroduced into the lithium-ion battery manufacturing supply chain.
Resistive Discharging
There are seventy-five discharging stations at Critical Mineral Recovery™ which render batteries inert. Each station has the capability to discharge one module per hour with a total capacity to discharge 1,800 stationary or Electric Vehicle (EV) lithium-ion battery modules per shift. An additional 32 stations discharge 190+ EV lithium-ion battery packs per shift.
Immersive Discharging
The Critical Mineral Recovery™ engineers designed an industrial-scale immersive process to discharge 35,000+ lbs. of consumer lithium-ion batteries ─ laptops, power tools, cell phones, chargers, etc. ─ and EV packs that cannot be discharged by the Resistive Discharging stations. The liquid solution encourages self-discharge for batteries that would be inefficient to discharge by resistive discharging.
CAPABILITIES + PROCESS
The proprietary Critical Mineral Recovery™ technology and recycling processes discharge, dismantle, and mechanically separate metallic substrates into a mixed metal concentrate (MMC) creating chemistry-specific metal-unit raw material packages for end consumers.
The high-grade MMC powder produced by Critical Mineral Recovery™ contains nickel, cobalt and lithium delivering consistent metal chemistries, resulting in high quality, reliable feed for smelters and hydrometallurgical refineries.
Critical Mineral Recovery™ employs both a custom-engineered resistive system and an industrial-scale immersive process to discharge up to 250 tons of lithium-ion batteries per day.
Resistive Discharging
There are seventy-five discharging stations at Critical Mineral Recovery™ which render batteries inert. Each station has the capability to discharge one module per hour with a total capacity to discharge 1,800 stationary or Electric Vehicle (EV) lithium-ion battery modules per shift. An additional 32 stations discharge 190+ EV lithium-ion battery packs per shift.
Immersive Discharging
The Critical Mineral Recovery™ engineers designed an industrial-scale immersive process to discharge 35,000+ lbs. of consumer lithium-ion batteries ─ laptops, power tools, cell phones, chargers, etc. ─ and EV packs that cannot be discharged by the Resistive Discharging stations. The liquid solution encourages self-discharge for batteries that would be inefficient to discharge by resistive discharging.
Disassembly
The Critical Mineral Recovery™ team disassembles EV lithium-ion battery packs isolating the cells for further processing. The remaining aluminum, copper, steel, and electronic components are processed, sorted, segregated, and packaged for traditional recycling downstreams.
Mechanical Separation
The Critical Mineral Recovery™ plant operates three mechanical separation lines with the ability to process eleven metric tons per hour ─ up to 6,000 tons of lithium-ion batteries and related materials per month. The size reduction and mechanical separation process liberates materials and separates them for further processing and packaging in bulk bags and gaylord boxes for shipment.
Mixed Metal Concentrate
The Critical Mineral Recovery™ facility produces a Mixed Metal Concentrate (MMC) containing critical minerals and metals to be reintroduced into the lithium-ion battery manufacturing supply chain.
Fire PREVENTION, DETECTION, and SUPPRESSION
The Critical Mineral Recovery™ facility is likely the most sophisticated automated and remote supervised and controlled fire suppression systems in the world. The state-of-the-art fire prevention system is designed to detect fires before they start. The system covers all areas where battery materials are stored or processed. It is monitored remotely 24/7 employing high-intensity industrial forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera technology.
Batteries are carefully inspected for physical damage, graded, and electrically tested, then thermally scanned upon receipt. Batteries are regularly monitored with thermal imaging until they have been discharged and rendered inert. Material storage areas are scanned by thermal imaging multiple times each shift. This helps eliminate hazards associated with charged batteries.
The facility is divided into 104 thermal zones with FLIR cameras and thermal, smoke, and optical flame detectors and analytics. There are 32 zones with FIKE optical flame detectors that detect smoke, mist, and flash as well. Any increase in ambient temperature triggers the 24/7 surveillance service, sounds an alarm, and notifies CMR staff and local authorities.
The on-site 200,000-gallon dedicated fire suppression water storage tower feeds 54 high powered remote-controlled nozzles, each with 180-degree coverage. Additional stationary fire sprinkler nozzles are installed above the storage rack system. The entire system is bolstered by a non-deleterious, environmentally safe, biodegradable foam agent which expands water by 10 times, effectively providing 2 million gallons of foam.
All critical systems have redundant internet and backup diesel generators with automatic transfer switches to ensure the suppression system, controls, equipment, surveillance, alarm, and communication systems continuously provided without interruption.