AFRY to Undertake Engineering Study for Jervois’ U.S. Cobalt Refinery Project
AFRY has been selected by Jervois Global Limited, an Australian-based cobalt company, to conduct the basic engineering and bankable feasibility study for its proposed cobalt refinery in the United States.
The U.S. Government recognizes cobalt as a critical mineral due to its significance in energy transition and national security applications. Jervois is in the process of selecting a site for a cobalt refinery in the U.S., addressing the absence of active cobalt refineries in the country.
The scope of the Basic Engineering (BE) and bankable feasibility study (BFS) will focus on a proposed 6,000 metric tonnes per annum ("mtpa") greenfield refinery in the U.S. The BFS completion timeline will be determined once a site has been chosen. It's anticipated that about 20% of the refinery's cobalt feed will come from recycled cobalt, predominantly from a closed-loop recycling process where cobalt used by customers is sent back to Jervois for reprocessing.
Jervois Finland Oy, a subsidiary of Jervois Global Limited, is a notable supplier of cobalt-based products, encompassing advanced cobalt chemicals and powders, and has historically produced pCAMs (pre-cursor cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries).