HOUSTON, Aug. 6, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Austin Elements Inc., a practitioner in sustainable
critical minerals recycling and battery precursor production, has
appointed Tom Wood as its new
Director of Operations. With over 20 years of experience in energy
and chemical manufacturing, Tom brings valuable expertise to the
company as it scales up its operations.
Tom joins Austin Elements from Tesla, where he served as Cathode
Manufacturing Leader, overseeing the construction and commissioning
of a world-class cathode production plant in Austin. His leadership in building
high-performing teams and optimizing production processes will be
instrumental in accelerating Austin
Element's manufacturing capabilities.
Tom began his career as a Nuclear Engineer at Naval Reactors
where he oversaw environmental compliance and waste disposal
programs across key naval and Department of Energy facilities. He
later held engineering and operational leadership roles at The Dow
Chemical Company and Lucite International (Mitsubishi Chemical
Group), further developing his leadership, operational and
strategic skills.
At Austin Elements, Tom will oversee the company's transition
from pilot to full-scale commercial production. His primary
responsibility will be overseeing the construction and
commissioning of Mega Plant 1 (MP1),
which will process up to 25,000 metric tons of black mass and black
mass equivalent input, focusing on lithium iron phosphate black
mass (LFP).
Austin Elements stands out from other recyclers due to its
proprietary technology which enables the economic recycling of
various feedstocks including LFP/LFMP black mass, mixed LFP &
NCM black mass, and lithium-containing ceramic glasses. The company
is the only LFP recycler in North
America and Europe capable
of producing qualified battery-grade lithium carbonate and LFP/LFMP
precursor from "dirty" black mass containing high levels of
impurities such as aluminum, copper, and fluoride. Austin Elements'
IRA compliant critical minerals, including lithium carbonate, iron
phosphate, nickel sulfate and cobalt sulfate, have been qualified
by multiple tier-one pCAM/CAM producers.
Dr. Jacob Jin, CEO of Austin
Elements, commented: "Tom's experience and structured approach
align perfectly with our goal to set up a domestic critical mineral
recycling and production facility in Texas. Under Tom's leadership, we're confident
in our progress towards commercial production and supplying
critical minerals to the EV and ESS industries in North America and Europe."
For more information about Austin Elements Inc., please visit
Austin Elements Inc., or email info@austinelements.com.
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SOURCE Austin Elements Inc