[SMM Analysis] Overseas Lithium News from 2.17 to 2.21

[Blue Whale Materials Announces Strategic Partnership With Call2Recycle to Advance Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling in North America]

Blue Whale Materials (BWM), a leader in lithium-ion battery recycling, recently announced a strategic partnership with Call2Recycle, North America's leading battery management organization. Through this collaboration, BWM's advanced sorting and recycling facility in Oklahoma will receive and process scrap batteries collected by Call2Recycle's nationwide network, which gathers used batteries across the US.

This partnership will play a critical role in meeting domestic demand for battery materials and marks an important step in North America's battery recycling efforts. The two organizations will work together to ensure a stable supply of scrap lithium-ion battery raw materials for BWM's advanced recycling facility.

Call2RecycleAs a trusted battery collection manager for over 30 years, Call2Recycle has now partnered with BWM as a sorting and processing collaborator, integrating its nationwide collection network into the partnership. BWM's proprietary process transforms these collected batteries into Blacksand, a high-quality black mass essential for refineries and battery materials manufacturers. The facility is already operational for sorting and testing and is expected to begin processing by mid-2025.

“This partnership enables Blue Whale Materials to support Call2Recycle's unparalleled collection network and expand our capacity to meet the growing demand for responsible lithium-ion battery recycling,” said Robert Kang, co-founder and CEO of Blue Whale Materials. “By collaborating with North America's leading battery collection organization, we ensure that BWM secures the raw materials needed to achieve its long-term mission of supporting a sustainable and safe battery supply chain.”

“Our partnership with Blue Whale Materials was a natural choice,” added Leo Raudys, CEO of Call2Recycle. “With BWM's cutting-edge technology and our extensive collection reach, we will bring a significant leap forward in battery recycling. Together, we will reduce waste and recover valuable materials for future use.”

Source: SMM, compiled from public information

[Paraguay Takes a Major Step Toward Becoming a Lithium Mining Powerhouse]

Canadian mining company Chaco Minerals is conducting exploration in Paraguay's Chaco region, aiming to leverage the area's rich lithium mining potential to further expand the so-called "Lithium Triangle." Mauricio Bejarano, Paraguay's Deputy Minister of Mining and Energy, stated that lithium from Bolivia's Uyuni Salt Flats has penetrated into Paraguay's groundwater, providing a unique advantage for lithium mine development in the Chaco region.

Currently, the Lithium Triangle spans Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, and is estimated to hold 56% of the world's lithium resources. Chaco Minerals and its partners, including Minera Atenea, Guaraní Lithium, and Roca Lithium, are exploring approximately 2 million hectares of land near the borders of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina. The first phase of exploration was successfully completed last year, and the second phase of geophysical studies is underway, utilizing advanced technology to detect underground mineral targets.

Historically underexplored, the Chaco region boasts one of the world's highest evaporation rates and higher humidity, which may help mitigate water shortages faced by neighboring countries in lithium production. Additionally, Paraguay's mining regulations are investor-friendly, offering incentives such as a five-year tax exemption on mining operations, tax-free repatriation of mining profits, and export tax credits.

Paraguay is connected to ports and other markets via waterways and will benefit from planned infrastructure, including a highway corridor and a natural gas pipeline linking Argentina and Brazil. These developments will strongly support lithium mine development.

Chaco MineralsProject Manager Rodrigo Díaz stated that the second phase of exploration is expected to take 4 to 5 years and cost approximately $30 million. The third phase will involve drilling and verifying the extractable lithium quantities, requiring an estimated $60 million to $70 million. The entire project is expected to cost at least $700 million, with plans to establish a pilot plant and commence lithium mining within the next 6 to 7 years.

Source: SMM, compiled from public information

[Chinese Researchers Develop New-Type Lithium-Hydrogen Battery]

A new study by the University of Science and Technology of China, published in the February 2025 issue of the German journal *Angewandte Chemie International Edition*, showcases a new battery chemistry using hydrogen as the anode. The researchers' lithium-hydrogen battery is expected to be a cost-effective alternative to existing chemistries, with a theoretical energy density of up to 2,825 Wh/kg.

Source: SMM, compiled from public information

[Eramet Completes First Lithium Carbonate Export From Salta]

A company under the French Eramet Group recently announced on Thursday that it has completed its first export of lithium carbonate, a key raw material for the global energy transition, from Salta Province. Last July, in the presence of Governor Gustavo Sáenz, the company held a plant inauguration ceremony in Salta, becoming the region's first such facility and the fourth operational project in Argentina, following Fénix, Olaroz, and Cauchari-Olaroz.

Source: SMM, compiled from public information

[Lightning Minerals Begins Drilling at Esperança Lithium Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil]

Lightning MineralsLtd has launched a 2,000-meter drilling program at its Esperança lithium mine project in Brazil's mineral-rich Minas Gerais state. The company has targeted northeast-trending pegmatite structures for drilling, which have been confirmed to contain spodumene mineralization and align with elevated lithium levels in the soil. Lightning Minerals Ltd has engaged Energold Drilling SA, a company with extensive lithium exploration experience in Minas Gerais' Lithium Valley region, to carry out the drilling operations. While the latest drilling program at the Esperança project is underway, Lightning Minerals Ltd is also conducting ground surveys at its Caraíbas and Canabrava projects, where soil samples have revealed lithium concentrations of up to 429 ppm and 320 ppm, respectively. Additionally, the company is evaluating multiple sites in the region and plans to conduct further drilling later this year.

Source: SMM, compiled from public information