Battery Technology + Energy Storage

A nature-based hydrometallurgical process for the low carbon extraction of battery-grade nickel and cobalt

THE PROBLEM

The transition away from fossil fuels towards electric energy sources is creating enormous new demand for critical, strategic metals including nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co). At the same time, the incumbent mineral processing technologies that supply these metals have large environmental liabilities, not just in terms of land and water use and contamination, but also greenhouse gas emissions.

The entire mining sector represents 7% of global GHG emissions annually and is an important target for decarbonization. There is thus an urgent need for new approaches to mineral processing that unlock challenging deposits with poor ore grades, and reduce environmental impacts locally and globally. Furthermore, many critical metals including Ni and Co will experience severe global supply shortfalls by 2030 unless improved mineral processing technologies can be brought online.

THE SOLUTION

State-of-the-art, low-footprint, nature-based solutions to mineral processing have strong potential to overcome these challenges and are gaining significant momentum. But most are very far from commercialization with tremendous technical barriers even to validation at the lab-scale.

Brokkr Mineral Resources Corporation has developed a first-of-its-kind, nature-based (bio) hydrometallurgical circuit that leverages electrogenic bacteria for the extraction and purification of nickel and cobalt from low-grade Ni laterite deposits.

This project, funded by CICE, is designed to achieve essential validation milestones that will advance the technology to commercial adoption with significant benefits for the electrification of the economy and the decarbonization of strategic metals supply chains.

PROJECT STATUS
Active
PROJECT CATEGORY
Battery + Energy Storage
FUNDING RECIPIENT
Brokkr Mineral Resources Corporation
CICE FUNDING AMOUNT
$500,970
PROJECT VALUE
$1,000,000
  • “Brokkr’s ultimate goal is to provide a secure supply of low carbon, low environmental impact nickel and cobalt (and manganese/rare earth elements) to battery manufactures in British Columbia, Canada, North America, and beyond. This project funded by CICE will dramatically accelerate our progress towards a sustainable bio-solution for the clean extraction of strategic metals.“
    SEAN CROWE, CEO, BROKKR MINERAL RESOURCES CORPORATION EXPLORE BROKKR MINERAL RESOURCES CORPORATION