- Volt Resources (VRC) signs a joint development agreement with its US tech partner American Energy Technologies and alkaline battery producer Urban Electric Power
- The collaboration will test non-spherical graphite, used to produce ultra-high purity graphite products to improve alkaline battery performance
- If successful, Urban Electric Power and Volt plan to enter into an off-take agreement
- Volt will retain the intellectual property rights throughout the collaboration
- Shares in Volt Resources were trading yesterday at 2.6 cents each
Volt Resources (VRC) has signed a joint development agreement with its US tech partner American Energy Technologies (AETC) and alkaline battery producer Urban Electric Power (UEP).
Through the collaboration, the parties will assess non-spherical purified graphite for conductivity enhancement and ultra-high purity graphite-based coatings to improve alkaline battery performance.
Volt believes this will benefit consumers of UEP’s alkaline battery technologies by providing a more attractive cost structure than currently available on the market.
Production will leverage Volt’s Zavalievsky graphite operation in Europe and its Bunyu graphite project development in Tanzania, as well as AETC’s inverted lithium-ion-battery anode materials flowsheet design.
Volt will retain the intellectual property rights for the carbon-based compositions, including non-spherical purified graphite and ultra-high purity graphite-based coatings relating to alkaline batteries.
If the graphite technology programs are successful, UEP and Volt plan to enter into an off-take agreement for the supply of ultra-high purity graphite-based coatings and additives.
This is in addition to potential licensing benefits derived from the intellectual property developed.
Signing of the agreement follows a visit to UEP’s power facilities earlier this year by Volt Managing Director Trevor Matthews, who said the collaboration provides “a clear pathway for the development of commercially based technologies to improve alkaline battery performance and lower costs”.
“The Volt board expects the JDA will accelerate the commercialisation of Volt’s downstream value-added graphite products in various battery applications”.
Shares in Volt Resources were trading yesterday at 2.6 cents each.