A Candiac cathode manufacturer, relying on technology then developed by the Hydro-Québec Research Institute (IREQ), believes Quebec needs to invest in its factory project to prevent a piece of the pie from slipping through its fingers.
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“Does Quebec want to have only 50% or 100% participation in the cathode market?” asks Sébastien Dakin, head of stakeholder mobilization at British Columbia-headquartered Nano One.
With 50% of the battery's value coming from the cathode, there is a real race against time to find the best recipe.
Provided by Investissement Québec
In Bécancour, EcoPro CAM Canada is betting on nickel, but Nano One believes that the future of the cathode lies with lithium iron phosphate (LFP), which is used by Tesla.
According to Sébastien Dakin, iron and phosphate are cheaper than nickel and cobalt, which should not be neglected if we want to reduce the price of electric cars.
Last year, almost one in three electric cars worldwide used this technology, he adds.
To position Quebec, Nano One wants to build a 25,000-ton factory to compete with China, which is almost the only one producing it on a large scale.
Greener process
In Candiac, 170 kilometers from Bécancour, the white and blue Nano One demonstration plant is convinced that it has found the right vein.
The Nano One demonstration system is large. Photo Francis Halin
Showing his facilities to the Journal, Sébastien Dakin explains in detail the stages of manufacturing cathode materials used in car batteries.
Lithium, iron and phosphate are first mixed into a paste in large 20 cubic meter reactors. It is then dried and baked in the oven.
“Our process uses much less energy and much less water,” he says.
“The only thing that ultimately comes out of the system is water vapor and LFP. We do not manage by-product waste,” he emphasizes.
IREQ innovation
In the Journal, Sébastien Dakin recalls that the factory, which has changed hands several times in recent years, owes a great debt of gratitude to the genius from Quebec.
Phostech Lithium (Quebec), Süd-Chemie (Germany), Clariant (Switzerland), Johnson Matthey (England) … and today Nano One (Canada, British Columbia) alternately own it.
He insists that it was the Hydro-Québec Research Institute (IREQ) and the University of Montreal (UdeM) that developed the first commercialized LFP.
Good recipe
Today, Nano One is worth $254 million on the stock market. Rio Tinto is one of the shareholders. She is interested because one day she could send her iron powder made in Sorel there.
Vili Costin believes Quebec has what it takes to compete in the big leagues. Photo Francis Halin
“I’m on the fourth recipe. We make the same product. We are well positioned,” Vili Costin, who worked at the factory for many years, told the Journal.
First Phosphate, Arianne Phosphate… Nano One isn't the only one who wants to make it. So why should it be the best?
“We have a factory, an experienced team and our patented technology. So it’s fair to say that we are more advanced,” concludes Sébastien Dakin.
– In collaboration with Nicolas Brasseur
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