Canada’s First Cobalt has awarded a contract to mineral processing and metal refining solutions company Metso Outotec for the design and manufacturing of solvent extraction cells, as well as technical support for the layout of a new solvent extraction plant and its process control.

The solvent extraction contract is the biggest and most important equipment package for the refinery, which First Cobalt is in the process of restarting to supply cobalt sulphate for electric vehicles (EVs).

First Cobalt said it had received several tenders from global vendors and Metso Outotec was selected based on competitive pricing and its technically superior bid.

The contracted solution involved the latest advancements in solvent extraction in terms of modular design, process control and ease of installation and start up. The installation time of the modular mixer-settlers was said to be 30% less than the conventional solvent extraction mixer-settlers used at other projects. In addition to the reduction in site install time, the footprint needed for the selected plant equipment was less than conventional solvent extraction equipment.

“Their [Metso Outotec’s] expertise and ability to deliver quality projects significantly de-risks our own. We move one step closer to becoming North America's only provider of cobalt sulphate and we do not intend to stop there,” commented First Cobalt president and CEO Trent Mell on Tuesday.

"Plans for our Canadian Battery Materials Park also include battery recycling, nickel sulphate production and a partnership with a battery precursor manufacturer."

Phase 1 deployment of First Cobalt's three-phase approach to market entry, slated for the fourth quarter of 2022, would focus on processing cobalt hydroxide to produce a high-quality, sustainable and traceable battery-grade cobalt sulphate.

First Cobalt already has a long-term cobalt hydroxide feed agreement with Glencore and IXM to provide 4 500 t/y of contained cobalt to the refinery. The company also has a long-term offtake agreement with Stratton Metal Resources for the sale of future cobalt sulphate production, with quantities determined by First Cobalt.

Negotiations with automakers and battery suppliers were ongoing, with a growing interest in sourcing battery material from North America.

Once operational, First Cobalt's refinery would be North America's only producer of cobalt sulphate for the EV market.