Nouveau Monde’s Integrated Battery Anode Material Outperforms Leading Commercial Producers
November 12 2020 - 3:00AM
Nouveau Monde Graphite (“Nouveau Monde” or the “Company”) (TSXV:
NOU; OTCQX: NMGRF; Frankfurt: NM9) is pleased to announce that it
has completed an important technical program on its proprietary
coating process with its research and development consortium,
internal experts and raw material suppliers. The primary objective
of the program, operating since 2018, was to establish the optimal
process operational parameters and design criteria needed to
complete the engineering and procurement of a large-scale
demonstration coating line. This process step is crucial in
demonstrating the full value chain proposition as an integrated
battery anode materials producer, from mine to market-ready coated
spherical purified graphite (“CSPG”).
Eric Desaulniers, President & CEO, states,
“The last few years of dedication to R&D and to forging
partnerships with the leading research and battery anode experts is
now allowing us to bring to market a high-quality ready-for-market
battery anode material that compares very favorably with the
established Asian supply chain. We will be able to respond to
clients needs based on scale, cost-competitiveness,
carbon-neutrality and product quality and performance
efficiency.”
Furthermore, Arne H.Frandsen, Chairman of
Nouveau Monde, commented: “This is an important announcement,
confirming both the high quality of our anode product as well as
our ability to produce those critical battery raw materials. With
our substantial resource base in Québec and integrated value-chain,
Nouveau Monde is well set to become a global leader in the supply
of anode materials for decades to come”.
To confirm product quality and performance, the
Company’s CSPG was benchmarked against the leading Asian commercial
anode material that currently dominate the lithium-ion supply
chain. A series of electrochemical tests made by the National
Research Council of Canada revealed that under the same conditions
in half-button cell batteries, the reversible capacity (a measure
of the energy density for performance) obtained with Nouveau
Monde’s anode material is 365 mAh/g compared with 360 mAh/g for the
leading Asian standards. Importantly, the coulombic efficiency for
the first cycle was similar for both products and within industry
specifications. Further, the broader market minimum specification
for reversible capacity is well below at only 350 mAh/g,
highlighting the market opportunity for Nouveau Monde.
Figure 1:
Nouveau Monde’s coated
anode material outperforms
leading peers is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/523254c4-655f-4d9e-ad00-6f215a4ed450
The importance of coating
to Nouveau Monde
In a lithium-ion battery, coating is used
to:
- form a stable and passive carbon
barrier around the high-purity spheronised graphite, which prevents
the electrolyte from penetrating into the graphite and creates a
stable electrolyte interface layer; and
- increase first-cycle efficiency by
decreasing the specific surface area of the particles, reducing the
loss of lithium within the electrolyte interface.
Coating is considered the last value-added
production step and will allow Nouveau Monde to provide high
purity, battery grade anode material for the rapidly growing
electric vehicle and renewable energy storage industries, securing
significantly higher margins and cash flow for shareholders.
Figure 2: Increased margins through the
value-added process is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dc052726-ee93-47bf-bea5-bca0ffbb9ed1
Forge Nano’s ALD
coating will enhance performance
of current carbon coated anode material
On October 6, 2020 Nouveau Monde announced a
collaborative agreement between the Company and the US-based
high-tech company Forge Nano for the use of advanced coating
technologies to enhance the performance of Nouveau Monde’s carbon
coated anode material. Eric Desaulniers explains: “Now that we have
developed a process that is scalable, low-cost and proven based on
the known carbon coating technologies, we are working closely with
our partner at Forge Nano with their state-of-the art ALD coating
to significantly improve anode material quality above what is
currently available in the market. The ALD coating that Forge Nano
will provide will be added on top of our coated product, creating a
premium anode material for specific customers. Through Nouveau
Monde, potential clients will have the ability to purchase our
industry-standard anode material or an enhanced superior anode
material for more performance driven applications.”
Market
perspective
On October 22, 2020, Roskill, an expert research
and consultancy firm focused on the metals, minerals and chemicals
industries, commented on Nouveau Monde and shared their insight
into the market for coated product: “The addition of coatings
creates even higher potential for profit from spherical graphite.
Only a limited number of producers currently carry out battery
material coating processes, which require a high level of knowledge
and experience and has traditionally taken place in Japan and, more
recently, South Korea, using proprietary production methods.
Chinese spherical graphite producers have now also begun to develop
coatings, mainly for supply to the domestic market.
The average value of Chinese imports of (mostly
coated) spherical graphite was US$7,157/t in 2019 but prices vary
widely depending on the type of coating, as requested by the
consumer and determined by the final battery application. China’s
monthly average value of imports ranged from a low of US$4,068/t to
a high of US$22,965/t in 2019.”
About Nouveau Monde
Nouveau Monde will be a key operator in the
sustainable energy revolution. The Company is developing the only
fully integrated source of green battery anode material in the
Western World. Targeting full scale commercial operations by early
2023, the Company will provide advanced carbon-neutral
graphite-based material solutions to the growing lithium-ion and
fuel cell markets. With low-cost operations and the highest of ESG
standards, Nouveau Monde will become a strategic supplier to the
world’s leading battery and auto manufacturers, ensuring robust and
reliable advanced material, while guaranteeing supply chain
traceability.
Media |
Investors |
|
|
Julie Paquet Director,
Communications Nouveau Monde +1 450-757-8905
(#140) jpaquet@nouveaumonde.ca |
Christina Lalli Director,
Investor Relations Nouveau Monde +1
438-399-8665 clalli@nouveaumonde.ca |
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Cautionary Note Regarding
Forward-Looking Information All statements, other
than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release
including, but not limited to (i) the positive impact of
the foregoing on project economics, (ii) increased margins
through NMG’s value-added process, and (iii) generally, or the
“About Nouveau Monde Graphite” paragraph which essentially
describe the Corporation’s outlook and objectives, constitute
“forward-looking information” or “forward-looking statements”
within the meaning of certain securities laws, and are based on
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upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while
considered reasonable by the Corporation as of the time of such
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economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. These
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incorrect. Many of these uncertainties and contingencies
can directly or indirectly affect, and could cause, actual results
to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any
forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that
forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual
results and future events could differ materially from those
anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are
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difference between subsequent actual events and such
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on the Corporation’s website at: www.NouveauMonde.ca
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