Technology

Wildcat and Austin Elements Partner to Close the Loop on LFP/LMFP Battery Recycling

Published

2 years ago

July 22, 2024

SAN DIEGO and HOUSTON, July 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Wildcat Discovery Technologies, a leading US cathode producer, and Austin Elements Inc., a leading US critical minerals recycler and sustainable LFP precursors producer, announced today the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on closing the loop for Lithium (Manganese) Iron Phosphate (L(M)FP) batteries.

Under the agreement, the two companies will work together to convert end-of-life batteries and manufacturing scraps into L(M)FP cathode materials. Austin Elements will produce battery-grade lithium carbonate and iron phosphate from L(M)FP black mass. Austin Elements is robust to process “DIRTY” black mass of high content of aluminum and copper. These materials have been successfully validated by Wildcat Discovery Technologies and will be supplied to Wildcat for use in their proprietary cathode materials.

This partnership strengthens the US supply chain for critical minerals and supports the objectives of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing Recycling Selections. These materials are manufactured domestically by US companies and IRA-qualified, ensuring they meet the standards set by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Wildcat has been developing battery materials since 2006, and it plans to build a plant in the United States to manufacture LFP in late 2026, LMFP in 2027, and disordered rock salt (DRX) in 2028. The plant, opening in 2026 with a 15,000-ton capacity, is set to double to 30,000 tons in 2028. This partnership with Austin Elements will ensure a reliable supply of high-quality precursors necessary for Wildcat’s cathode materials production.

Austin Elements Inc. specializes in producing high-specification critical minerals and LFP/LMFP battery precursors using recycled feedstocks. Their innovative, low-carbon processes recover valuable minerals from various sources, including LFP and NCM lithium-ion batteries and manufacturing scrap. As a tier-one and tier-two recycler for top EV OEMs and cell manufacturers worldwide, Austin Elements has secured feedstocks from the US, Europe, North, and South America. Notably, Austin Elements is the only LFP recycler in North America and Europe, capable of producing qualified battery-grade lithium carbonate and LFP precursor from “Dirty” black mass with high impurity content. Austin Elements plans to build 10,000 MTs LFP black mass refinery facility in Houston, Texas in early 2026, and expand to 85,000 MTs by 2028. It will be the largest LFP black mass refinery plant in the US and Europe.

“We are thrilled to partner with Austin Elements to advance LFP recycling for high-performance cathode materials,” said Wildcat President and CEO Mark Gresser. “Customers in North America seek accessible, long-term alternatives to China-based CAM production, and our partnership helps achieve that objective in a sustainable and efficient way.”

“We are excited to join forces with Wildcat Discovery Technologies,” said Dr. Jacob Jin, CEO of Austin Elements Inc. “Our novel patented L(M)FP recycling processes enable the economics of LFP recycling, and the battery-grade lithium-carbonate sustainable L(M) FP precursors are a perfect match for Wildcat’s advanced battery research and manufacturing capabilities. Together, we will make significant strides in the circular economy for LFP series battery materials.”

Austin Elements is committed to supplying qualified materials to Wildcat according to the mutually agreed timelines, and Wildcat Discovery Technologies agrees to purchase significant quantities of these materials. This partnership marks a crucial step in ensuring a sustainable and efficient supply chain for battery production, reinforcing the companies’ positions as leaders in the battery materials industry.

For more information, please visit Wildcat Discovery Technologies and Austin Elements Inc..

About Wildcat Discovery Technologies

Wildcat’s mission is to produce high-performance U.S.-made cathodes to enable widespread adoption of clean energy. Founded in 2006, the company plans to manufacture a portfolio of nickel- and cobalt-free CAM at a plant it builds in the United States. At the same time, Wildcat will continue to leverage its 15 years of materials development to help customers achieve the best integrated battery cell. For more information, visit Wildcat Discovery Technologies.

About Austin Elements Inc.

Austin Elements Inc. specializes in producing high-specification critical minerals and battery precursors using recycled feedstocks (LFP, NCM, and ceramic glass). The company is committed to sustainable practices and has developed low-carbon processes for recovering minerals from various sources. For more information, visit Austin Elements Inc..

Media Contact:
press@wildcatdiscovery.com

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Technology

BlueNexus Technologies Unveils AquaX Hub at SIWW 2026 — AI Autonomous Operations Extended to Legacy Water Assets

Published

3 hours ago

June 21, 2026

SINGAPORE, June 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2026, BlueNexus Technologies unveiled the global debut of AquaX Hub™ — a compact plug-and-play edge device that brings full AI-powered autonomous operation to standalone water equipment and legacy treatment plants. The launch drew sustained engagement from utilities, industrial operators and engineering firms.

The water sector confronts converging pressures: aging infrastructure, a critical shortage of skilled technicians, and relentless operational cost escalation. AquaX Hub™ answers these directly — extending the AI autonomous operation already proven plant-wide by AquaX Robot™ to a single asset, and delivering comparable monitoring and operational management without a control-system overhaul.

“The industry cannot hire its way out of this problem,” said Jack Zhang, CEO of BlueNexus Technologies. “AI autonomous operation is no longer a future concept — the barrier to entry is gone.”

The AquaX Ecosystem

BlueNexus has built the industry’s first fully integrated AI autonomous water operation platform, spanning three complementary pillars:

AquaX Robot™ is the flagship plant-wide AI agent, built on large language models with proprietary vision, acoustic and infrared multimodal sensing. It optimizes treatment processes 24/7 and predicts equipment failures. Live deployments show up to 90% reduction in on-site staffing, a 50% drop in equipment breakdowns, and approximately 35% lower O&M costs.

AquaX Hub™, making its global debut at SIWW 2026, is a lightweight edge terminal extending that capability to any water system. With an independent local processing module, it monitors and inspects equipment through multimodal sensing and runs a self-contained processing loop. The device integrates seamlessly with existing SCADA, cloud and enterprise platforms via standardized APIs.

i-WaterHub™, the company’s standardized modular treatment plant, operated autonomously by AquaX Robot, delivers 2,500 to 40,000 m³/day for municipal and industrial applications.

Market Momentum

SIWW 2026 convened nearly 500 exhibitors from over 65 countries. BlueNexus has identified priority markets for AquaX Hub™ in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. “The conversations this week have already translated into concrete business opportunities and we expect rapid deployment in the coming months.” Zhang confirmed.

About BlueNexus Technologies

BlueNexus Technologies is a Singapore-based water-technology company building intelligent, AI-operated systems for the world’s most water-intensive industries. We design and deliver modular water treatment infrastructure that is smarter to run, faster to deploy, and built to operate autonomously.

Web: www.bluenexus.tech

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SOURCE BlueNexus Technologies

Technology

VIVATECH 2026 CELEBRATES ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A RECORD EDITION SURPASSING 200,000 VISITORS

Published

11 hours ago

June 20, 2026

With the presence of Emmanuel Macron and Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India

PARIS, June 20, 2026 /CNW/ — From June 17 to 20, 2026 at Paris Porte de Versailles, VivaTech celebrated its 10th edition, surpassing the exceptional milestone of 200,000 visitors from 165 nationalities, with more than 15,000 startups present, 1,155 speakers and over 5 billion cumulative impressions on social media. Europe’s largest tech and innovation event has reached a new dimension, consolidating its status as an unmissable global gathering.

Exceptional speakers

VivaTech welcomed the greatest figures in global tech: Jeff Bezos (Amazon & Blue Origin), Dave Limp (Blue Origin), Bernard Arnault (LVMH), Henna Virkkunen (European Commission), Ekaterina Zaharieva (European Commission). Germany, Country of the Year 2026, was represented by a ministerial delegation, while India, AI Country Partner 2026, was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as a continuation of the AI Summit in New Delhi.

Innovation and business at the heart of the event

More than 4,500 exhibitors, 61% of whom were international, showcased their latest innovations. Among the standout innovations: the smart contact lens by XPANCEO, the thought-controlled humanoid robot by Unitree x HABS, and the 3D-printed resorbable implants by Lattice Medical. New formats such as the Business Plaza and Investors Office Hours further accelerated business connections.

The VivaTech x Bloomberg Awards

For the first time, VivaTech presented the VivaTech x Bloomberg Awards, recognising the most influential figures in global tech, including Sir Tim Berners-Lee (Visionary Award), Joe Tsai (Leadership Award) and Yann LeCun (Momentum Award).

Innovation open to all

VivaTech also took over the Champs-Élysées on June 14th for an open-air technology showcase, before opening its doors to the general public on June 20th with astronaut Thomas Pesquet as guest star.

“This 10th edition was not a celebration of the 9 previous years, but the opening of a new decade full of promise.” — Maurice Lévy, Michèle Benbunan & François Bitouzet, VivaTech

See you from June 16 to 19, 2027 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles for VivaTech 2027!

About VivaTech

VivaTech accelerates innovation by connecting startups, tech leaders, major companies, and investors responding to our world’s biggest challenges.

Each year, over four exciting days in Paris, VivaTech creates Europe’s biggest startup and tech event, exploring the most disruptive topics in tech with world-premiere demos, launches, and conferences in a collaborative ecosystem. This is where business meets innovation. Join us for the eleventh edition of VivaTech 16-19 June 2027.

For more information go to our website at https://vivatech.com/media or follow us on social media @VivaTech.

Contact
press@vivatechnology.com

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SOURCE VivaTech

Technology

Pope Leo XIV embraces paediatric patients at CNAO in Pavia

Published

14 hours ago

June 20, 2026

PAVIA, Italy, June 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO) served as the first stop today during Pope Leo XIV’s pastoral visit to the city of Pavia. His choice to begin his journey at this center reflects a profound commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue between advanced scientific progress and the alleviation of human suffering.

CNAO President Gianluca Vago and General Manager Sandro Rossi received His Holiness, illustrating the center’s distinctive capabilities. CNAO stands out as a unique reality in Italy, remaining one of the very few facilities worldwide capable of delivering hadrontherapy using both protons and carbon ions. The technological core of the facility is its synchrotron, a subatomic particle accelerator that generates ultra-high-precision beams to treat complex, inoperable and radioresistant tumours. This cutting-edge technology allows for the targeted eradication of diseased cells while meticulously preserving surrounding healthy tissues, drastically improving patients’ survival and quality of life.

Furthermore, CNAO is expanding its capabilities as a premier multi-center utilizing new ion species, like Helium, later Oxygen and Neon. Soon, treatments will incorporate the Leo Cancer Care upright positioning and imaging system. The immediate future also includes beginning therapies with a Hitachi dedicated proton accelerator and gantry and a BNCT system for metastatic diseases, equipped with an electrostatic accelerator produced by TAE Life Science. With these new technologies, CNAO will become one of the most technologically advanced center in the world.

To date, over six thousand individuals, including approximately three hundred children and adolescents, have benefited from these life-saving treatments.

During his visit, the Pope engaged with CNAO’s Board of Directors, a collaborative body uniting national universities, clinical institutions, and research centers. He also extended his heartfelt greetings to the two hundred employees of the center. These doctors, physicists, engineers, and researchers tirelessly operate the advanced technologies in the service of oncology patients.

The emotional pinnacle of the day was the Holy Father’s private gathering with a delegation of young children who underwent treatment. The paediatric patients and their families shared a deeply touching moment of closeness, receiving the Pope’s comforting embrace.

“The visit of Pope Leo XIV honours us and represents a moment of extraordinary human value”, stated CNAO President Gianluca Vago. “In his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, the Holy Father emphasizes the necessity of a science that constantly safeguards the centrality of the person and directs technology toward the common good. In a time marked by global tensions, CNAO testifies daily how the incredible power of the atom can be used not to destroy, but to heal. The particle beams we utilize against disease are, symbolically, Rays of Hope, sharing and supporting the IAEA project bearing this name. The embrace the Holy Father reserved for our children reminds us that scientific research finds its most authentic purpose when it encounters listening, compassion, and hope”.

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