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Managem, a Moroccan industrial mining group majority-owned by Morocco’s Royal Family, has partnered with the Anglo-Swiss multinational miner Glencore to produce cobalt from recycled cobalt, nickel and lithium at its Hydrometallurgical Refinery in Marrakech, Morocco.
This aligns with its strategic aim of ensuring an adequate supply of battery cells, as experts believe that the green energy transition and surge in demand for electric vehicles will result in supply issues despite efforts to ramp up battery cell production.
According to a press release issued by Managem, the Morocco-based industrial miner revealed that its recent partnership with Glencore demonstrates its commitment to assisting the electric vehicle industry in meeting its battery metal recycling targets.
It disclosed that the partnership is contingent on a feasibility study to determine the commercial viability of modifying and deploying the CTT Refinery for recovering cobalt, nickel and lithium from black mass, which is a refinery feed made up of recycled lithium-ion batteries.
The feasibility study will concentrate on achieving high recoveries, while leaving a small carbon footprint. It is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2022.
The move is expected to build on Glencore and Managem’s shared commitment to improving the cobalt supply chain through collaborative industry and multi-stakeholder platforms, as both companies are members of the Responsible Minerals Initiative.
According to Imad Toumi, chairman and CEO of Managem, the partnership with Glencore represent an exciting step forward in the company’s development, because it is fully engaged in supporting the global circular economy through cobalt, nickel and lithium mining, while adhering to the highest CSR standards.
“We are proud to announce our partnership with Managem,” Glencore’s Head Cobalt Trader David Brocas said. “As the world seeks to address the challenge of climate change, primary-recycled cobalt and other future-oriented commodities are poised to play critical roles in decarbonizing energy consumption and delivering the electric vehicle revolution.”
Managem is an industrial mining group with more than 90 years of experience operating a diversified metals portfolio. The group is majority-held by Al Mada, a pan-African private equity fund controlled by the Moroccan Royal Family.
