American Battery Technology Company, an integrated critical minerals manufacturing company commercializing technologies for both primary critical minerals manufacturing and secondary recycled minerals manufacturing, has received approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) for the sale of up to $100 million of its recycled black mass material through a license to export under specified terms following the implementation of recently enacted federal export controls governing critical battery materials.
“We are grateful for this license and continued support from the U.S. government for the sales of our domestic critical mineral products as we scale both our current critical mineral recycling facility and also our second recycling facility supported by $150 million in competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Energy,” said Ryan Melsert, chief executive officer of American Battery Technology Company. “As demonstrated by the progress reflected in our fiscal year 2026 financial results, we continue to successfully execute on the commercialization of our technologies and expand our role within the critical minerals value chain.”
This Defense Priorities and Allocation System (DPAS) license follows a year of significant commercial and operational progress for American Battery Technology Company (ABTC). As highlighted in the company’s recently reported fiscal year 2026 financial results, ABTC continues to advance the commercialization of its critical mineral recycling technologies, expand customer engagement and execute against its strategy of building a domestically integrated critical minerals platform. The ability to continue selling exported recycled black mass critical minerals supports current operations, strengthens the company’s market position, and further enhances its ability to capitalize on growing demand for critical minerals across global supply chains.
ABTC currently operates its first commercial scale critical mineral recycling facility near Reno, Nevada, where it processes end-of-life batteries and manufacturing scrap into strategically recovered materials, including copper, aluminum, steel, lithium-rich intermediates and black mass. The facility began commercial operations in 2023 and utilizes the company’s internally developed battery recycling technologies.
Black mass contains valuable critical minerals, including lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite, which can be further refined and returned to the critical mineral supply chain for the manufacturing of new products. ABTC has previously emphasized its commitment to supporting the development of a North American closed-loop circular economy through the recovery, recycling, and reuse of critical minerals.
The company remains focused on expanding domestic critical mineral production through both recycling and primary resource development initiatives, helping strengthen U.S. supply chain resilience and support the growing demand for critical minerals essential to electrification, energy storage, and national energy security.
Published October 2026
