The patent within the NPPA is the second invention contained in the Company’s RecycLiCo battery recycling process. The patent encompasses novel process functions that further enhance the RecycLiCo process and expand the processing capability for various waste battery input materials.

These process functions and their benefits to the battery industry include:

• The recovery of graphite and treatment of black mass material originating from the mechanical size reduction of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries.

Bloomberg is projecting 56 million passenger electric vehicles sales worldwide in 2040, and the need to recycle the trailing volume of end-of-life batteries will be a certainty. Therefore, black mass is expected to be the most common input material for hydrometallurgical processing, and significant demand for advanced and efficient processing of black mass material will be required. The RecycLiCo process presents a significant opportunity to reintroduce these critical battery materials back into the supply chain.

• The treatment of fluoride originating from the lithium-ion battery electrolyte.

The electrolyte is a highly toxic and hazardous lithium-ion battery material found in some black mass materials. If not treated, it could lead to complications in downstream recycling functions and environmental damage.

• The separation of aluminum from cathode active material in battery manufacturing scrap.

Lithium-ion battery manufacturing includes coating cathode active material containing lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt to an aluminum foil to form the cathode electrode. This manufacturing process can result in off-spec cathodes that are scrapped as waste, which the RecycLiCo process can treat to produce high-quality cathode materials for battery re-manufacturing.

A summary and reference to each national phase patent application are summarized below:

About American Manganese Inc.

American Manganese Inc. is a critical metals company focused on the recycling of lithium-ion batteries with the RecycLiCo™ patented process. The RecycLiCo™ patented process was developed to offer a closed-loop and environmentally friendly solution for the recycling of cathode materials used in lithium-ion batteries. The recycling process provides high extraction and purity of cathode metals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and aluminum. The RecycLiCo™ process was designed with the goal to produce recycled battery products that could be seamlessly and directly integrated into the re-manufacturing of battery cathodes using minimal processing steps.