Managem and Glencore enter cobalt partnership

Moroccan mining company Managem  said on Wednesday it has agreed with Glencore, mining and commodity trader, to produce Cobalt from recycled cobalt, nickel and lithium at Managem’s CTT Hydrometallurgical Refinery at Guemssa, near Marrakech.

“This partnership highlights Glencore and Managem’s commitments to support the electric vehicle industry in achieving its metals recycling targets,” the company said in a statement.

The statement said that the partnership is conditional on a feasibility study which aims to evaluate the commercial viability of modifying and deploying the CTT Refinery for recovering cobalt, nickel and lithium from black mass.

This study, they said, will look into achieving high recoveries and a low carbon footprint, and will be completed within the first quarter of 2022.

“Demand for cobalt is expected to increase significantly in the next decade, largely driven by the green energy transition. Most actors in the supply chain seek to ensure sustainably sourced materials and we strongly believe that recycling will play a crucial role in addressing this demand,” said Imad Toumi, Chairman & CEO of Managem.

“Managem is fully engaged in supporting the global circular economy through cobalt, nickel and lithium at the same time as mining cobalt with the highest CSR standards. This partnership with Glencore represents an exciting step up in our development in this field,” he added.  

While Managem will provide the lithium-ion batteries recycling technology developed and tested in the pilot plant at the REMINEX R&D Centre, Glencore will market the recycled products to its global network.

The recycling technology, the company said, enables a high recovery rate of cobalt, nickel and lithium from black mass.