First Atlas plant
Our first commercial plant, Electra, will be in North America, and will produce a range of critical minerals with zero-waste used by domestic industrial manufacturers. All by-products produced by our process are saleable and can abate emissions in other industries.
Paul Newling, MD of NewPro Engineering, Ken Baxter, SVP of Engineering at Atlas Materials, David Dreisinger, CEO at Atlas Materials, Pierre Charlent, Adviser on Geology and Nickel Ore Procurement at Atlas Materials
We are working with leading participants in the mining and minerals industry to build Electra and demonstrate the technological and economic viability of the pioneering Atlas Process as well as its scalability. The plant will produce Magnesium Metal via an intermediary high purity Magnesium Chloride step, with Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM) and MHP as revenue generating by-products.
Atlas is currently assessing potential sites in North America that will benefit from the high-skill jobs and economic development opportunities our plant will create, and have the necessary infrastructure to provide suitable access for the regional supply chain. Atlas already has long term supply agreements in place with established producers for saprolite ore that cover our expected requirements.
Electra’s Products
Our first plant will produce:
Magnesium Chloride
Very high-purity Magnesium Chloride solution used to make:
1. Magnesium Oxide (used in fireproofing, insulators, fertilizers, water treatment, plasma display screens) 2. Magnesium Hydroxide (used in pharmaceuticals, plastics, construction materials) 3. Magnesium Metal (used in automotive, defense, electronics, and designated a critical mineral in the US and Canada).Nickel
Nickel in the form of Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate (MHP), containing both Nickel and a small percentage of Cobalt to be used in battery production. Through a partnership with 6K Energy of Massachusetts, we are assessing ways to use Atlas produced MHP in advanced battery manufacturing processes as an input to cathode active material (CAM and pCAM).
SCM
A supplementary cementitious material that can be used as a partial replacement for cement to enhance performance, reduce costs and support decarbonization in the concrete industry.
Magnesium Hydroxide for Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE)
Atlas’s Magnesium oxide/hydroxide products open the possibility of large-scale application to OAE – an emerging approach to micro-pH adjustment of ocean surface waters to accelerate the large-scale absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere.
Markets
Atlas is focused on developing products to serve the critical minerals markets for Nickel and Magnesium Metal.
Magnesium Metal
Magnesium Metal is not currently produced in the US despite being designated as a critical metal by both the US and Canada. Magnesium Metal is an increasingly important material used in the automotive, defense and aerospace industries helping to reduce the weight of end-products. Atlas aims to secure new North American supply for the Magnesium Metal market which is currently dominated by China, who control approximately 87% of global production.
Historical and Forecast Magnesium Supply 2010 to 2035, kt/yr
Nickel
There is an emerging global shortage of Nickel that can be used in battery supply chains with some expecting a battery Nickel supply deficit that could reach nearly 900,000 tons per year by 2030. The Atlas Process enables production of battery grade Nickel, which is currently designed as a critical mineral in both the US and Canada.