Government of Canada investing almost $8.4M in critical minerals processing in Kingston, Ont.

On Sept. 4, Mark Gerretsen, Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands, announced almost $8.4 million in investments to Cyclic Materials Incorporated and Green Graphite Technologies Inc. (GGT) under the Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration (CMRDD) program.

The funding is said to support the development of a circular economy for rare earth elements for permanent magnets and the recycling of graphite for use in lithium-ion batteries here in Canada.

Cyclic Materials will operate a demonstration plant that produces high purity mixed rare earth oxide and a cobalt–nickel mixed hydroxide product from various recycled materials using its proprietary physical and hydrometallurgical processes. Rare earth elements are metals used in various applications, but the highest value application is permanent magnets, which are used in electric vehicle motors, wind turbines and many electronics, such as computers and cell phones.

The project will reportedly validate operating conditions to support future scale and commercial operations. Additionally, the project will promote a circular economy in Canada through the creation of a robust recycling process, address knowledge gaps in scaling and testing technology, and decrease the dependence on imported critical minerals. Natural Resources Canada is providing $4.9 million to Cyclic Materials for this initiative.

GGT will demonstrate their GraphRenew^TM technology’s ability to cost-effectively and sustainably recover and transform graphite from secondary sources into lithium-ion battery-grade graphite. The upgraded graphite will undergo battery cell performance testing, and larger quantities will be sent to major battery cell manufacturers to begin certification testing. Lithium-ion batteries main target use is EVs, but they are also used in solar panels and electronics, like cell phones and laptops.

The project could address a significant knowledge gap in the lithium-ion battery industry while focusing on recycling batteries and upgrading spent graphite, enabling commercialization and improving circularity in the graphite value chain domestically. NRCan is providing $3.5 million to GGT for this initiative.

According to the International Energy Agency, the demand for critical minerals to power the clean economy is expected to double by 2030.

“Across critical mineral value chains — from upstream exploration and extraction to downstream processing, manufacturing and recycling — the battery value chain holds incredible economic opportunity for Canada and Canadians,” says Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. “New technologies will help address gaps in our world-leading supply chain, seize the economic opportunity presented to us, keep Canadian industry competitive in a rapidly evolving global context, and create jobs — now and for future generations. This is important news for Kingston, and beyond.”