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Leading the Green Economy Curve When the world’s first generation of e-vehicles are towed into scrapyards this decade, an innovative facility in Kingston is ready to recycle their massive lithium-ion batteries — and reclaim thousands of tons of their valuable components. Li-Cycle (NSE: LICY), a new generation “urban mining company” with more than 20 patents, has just wrapped up a pilot project in the city that proves it can recover 95% of a lithium-ion battery’s useful material, including carbonates (manganese and lithium) and sulphates (nickel and cobalt) and refine it for sale back to the manufacturers of new EV batteries. The investment world recognized its innovation earlier this year with an IPO that gives it a $1.55 billion valuation. Having demonstrated that it can retrieve valuable resources effectively through a non-polluting, hydrometallurgical/wet chemistry process, Li-Cycle is now sharing those results with potential partners and customers around the world. Its first LI battery waste refinery — the final stage of its two-step recycling process — will be completed in Kingston next year with a capacity to process 120,000 electric-vehicle battery packs annually. In the meantime, Li-Cycle’s new Kingston plant has capacity to grind up 5,000 tonnes of batteries a year, making it the continent’s largest LI battery
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Empowering Teachers to Change Lives recycler. Its mechanical process allows for the recovery of such valuable materials as lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper and aluminum that will be recovered at its new refinery. The eastern Ontario plant is the first of 20 regional recycling “spokes” located across North America that by 2025 will supply raw material to Li-Cycle’s “hub” refineries in Kingston and three other cities. Li-Cycle now has three dozen employees at its Kingston research and processing facility. Early work on its operations also involved two other Kingston companies. Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc. assisted Li-Cycle in scaling up from concept to commercialization; Green Centre Canada helped with Li-Cycle’s refining process in its testing labs. And local firm BGM Metalworks is producing modular units for use in Li-Cycle’s new American facilities. Li-Cycle CEO and co-founder, Ajay Kochhar, says, “Kingston will continue to be central to our core business as both an operational asset and a facility where we develop, enhance, and improve our technologies.” www.li-cycle.com
Nigerian entrepreneur, Hakeem Subair had to travel halfway around the world to find a way to help sub-Saharan Africa solve its education problem. He found his solution in Kingston. With the help of supporters there, his One Million Teachers (1MT) social enterprise has created an innovative, grassroots program that pays impoverished teachers to improve their teaching skills. “Kingston has adopted us,” he says, citing assistance from Queen’s University, St. Lawrence College, Kingston Economic Development Corporation and the local education community. “When it comes to making the world a better place, Kingston punches far above its weight.” So far, 1MT has reached 17,000 African teachers since Hakeem developed the concept in 2017 at an annual city brainstorming event that works to solve global issues. Using a website and apps, 1MT now offers modest cash rewards to participating teachers as they progress through its training levels. Education is the key to fighting high child mortality and youth unemployment in Africa, he says. “And teachers are the world’s most important resource. They make things happen.” Convinced that government agencies take too long to formulate a response to education problems, Hakeem and his team have found ways to upgrade teaching skills by
dealing with individual teachers directly. So far, they have created 415 community learning hubs in 16 countries that bring teachers, mentors and students together with or without classrooms. The countries include Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya and Ghana. Both Queen’s and St. Lawrence College send volunteers to 1MT’s suburban headquarters to provide help on social media, marketing and programming projects. In addition, small teams of Queen’s education students earn academic credits working with the learning hubs. Experienced teachers host online master classes and mentor 1MT participants. A Covid-inspired shift to online teaching brought new attention to some of 1MT’s ed-tech content for the Canadian school system, adding additional revenue with the help of government relief programs. 1MT’s latest program is a 2022 four-city photography exhibition (Kingston, New York, London and Stockholm) that highlights its promotion of the United Nation’s sustainable development goal (SDG) of improved education for children. The exhibit focuses on 1MT’s education-through-art program in Nigeria. www.1millionteachers.com