Battery materials and technology company Talga has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with United Catalyst, marking its entry into the US market and laying the groundwork for potentially building new battery graphite recycling and anode facilities.

The three-year agreement combines UCC’s capabilities in automotive recycling with Talga’s expertise in battery graphite and anode materials.

The companies plan to collaborate on recycling processes, adapting UCC’s assay and refining capabilities to battery scrap and leveraging Talga’s expertise in recycling battery waste into anode material, the companies said. They will potentially share facilities and logistics to reduce setup costs, expedite permitting and access UCC’s broad network of recyclers and partnerships.

The agreement could also boost the companies’ chances of securing grants from programs such as the US Department of Energy’s $3-billion battery recycling program.

Using its plant design, Talga can capitalize on graphite waste volumes from battery recyclers across multiple regions of the US and provide supply chain security for local manufacturers shifting to non-Chinese anode, the company said. This facilitates shorter supply chains, lower logistics costs and faster qualification for offtake agreements.  

By expanding parts of its operations from Europe to the US, particularly South Carolina, Talga gains a foothold in the Battery Belt, a growing hub for EV and battery production including automakers like BMW and Volvo, as well as battery material manufacturers and black mass producers.

“This agreement with UCC marks a turning point as we expand our innovative, low-emission battery solutions to the dynamic US market, accelerating Talga’s commercialization of its Talnode-R product and boosting access to new customers and funding opportunities,” said Martin Phillips, Talga’s CEO.

Source: Talga