Metso is to introduce pilot and demo plants for the development and production of pCAM, supporting customers in their pCAM-related R&D and process development. These pilot and demo plants are based on advanced pCAM plant technology launched in 2024. This intelligent Metso Plus solution is designed for the manufacture of the precursor cathode active material needed in the production of lithium-ion batteries.
“Metso’s pCAM plants are designed to address the growing demand for high-quality precursor materials. The pilot and demo plants are standardised solutions that enable customers to optimise pCAM quality and scale up production using Metso’s technology. Metso’s pCAM process automation and online analysers reduce the need for laboratory analysis and parameter adjustments made by operators,” says Markus Koponen, Technology Manager, Precursors.
The OKTOP ® pCAM pilot plant enables the scaling up of pCAM development from the laboratory to a scale where it is possible to study pCAM precipitation phenomena in more detail and start to produce customer samples for battery evaluation. A typical delivery entails reagent feed, precipitation and filtration equipment. The heart of the pCAM process is precipitation, which includes a 0.1 mn OKTOP® pCAM pilot reactor and a PSI® 1000 online particle size analyser with auxiliaries. A PF0.4 filter, instrumentation and a Metso pCAM process control system are included in the standard pilot plant delivery. The design of the pCAM precipitation process makes it possible to operate the pilot, demo and full-scale units in semi-batch or continuous mode.
Metso’s OKTOP® pCAM demo unit offers our customers the heart of Metso’s pCAM process, enabling them to scale up the pCAM process from small-scale to industrial-scale production. It is delivered pre-assembled to the customer’s site in a container skid. A typical Metso delivery scope includes a 3 m3 OKTOP® pCAM demo reactor, an HRT High Rate Thickener and PSI® 1000 online particle size analyser.
Centred around the OKTOP® pCAM reactor, PSI® 1000 particle size analyser and pCAM process control, Metso says the pCAM plant integrates advanced technology and decades of expertise to ensure an energy-efficient and sustainable process. Metso’s pCAM plant “is backed by world-class research and testing capabilities. The modular plant design can also be tailored according to specific requirements.”