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The Karbon-X Advantage in the Fight Against Climate Change

InvestorIntel’s Tracy Weslosky recently interviewed Chad Clovis, the CEO of Karbon-X Corp. (OTC: KARX), a trailblazing carbon marketing and project development firm that is at the vanguard of North America’s ESG conversation.

In this interview, Chad explains how Karbon-X’s innovative approach includes a user-friendly app that enables individuals and small businesses to conveniently offset their carbon footprints, allowing all of us to participate in the fight against climate change.

Cost-effective, Chad discloses how the app’s popularity is skyrocketing. Discussing the latest news and events for Karbon-X, they finish by discussing a recent partnership with Resolute Resources Ltd. aimed at reducing emissions from on-site fuel usage. To access the full interview, click here

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About Karbon-X Corp.

Karbon-X is a cutting-edge carbon marketing firm specializing in direct selling of carbon credits to businesses and individuals via a proprietary app. The company actively invests in projects with the potential to generate carbon credits, fostering the growth of the green economy through an online social media community.

To know more about Karbon-X Corp., click here

Disclaimer: Karbon-X Corp. is an advertorial member of InvestorIntel Corp.

This interview, which was produced by InvestorIntel Corp. (IIC) does not contain, nor does it purport to contain, a summary of all the material information concerning the “Company” being interviewed. IIC offers no representations or warranties that any of the information contained in this interview is accurate or complete.

This presentation may contain“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and assumptions of the management of the Company as of the date made. They are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual events/results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those that the Company does not know about now or that it currently deems immaterial, may also adversely affect the Company’s business or any investment therein.

Any projections given are principally intended for use as objectives and are not intended, and should not be taken,  as assurances that the projected results will be obtained by the Company. The assumptions used may not prove to be accurate and a potential decline in the Company’s financial condition or results of operations may negatively impact the value of its securities. Prospective investors are urged to review the Company’s profile on Sedar.com and to carry out independent investigations in order to determine their interest in investing in the Company.

If you have any questions surrounding the content of this interview, please contact us at +1 416 792 8228 and/or email us direct at [email protected].




SunHydrogen on track to make the cleanest greenest hydrogen

Every once in a while I read about a company and wonder why their technology isn’t being adopted by everyone, everywhere. To me, it can seem like the idea sounds almost too good to be true (and maybe in some cases it is), but in the event that it is a legitimate, proven technology, one feels compelled to dig deeper and understand why it isn’t a tool being used for the betterment of the whole of society (and the profit of shareholders). I’ll admit that sometimes I don’t think the same way as others and that perhaps my perception of what might be the best thing since sliced bread could make you scratch your head and ask what is this guy smoking, but we can leave that debate for another day.

What piques my interest today is the potential of the ultimate green energy – clean hydrogen derived from water and sunlight. On top of that, it is a self-contained, scalable solution to provide on-site solar hydrogen generation facilitating local distribution to further reduce/eliminate the carbon footprint. Makes you wonder why we are wasting our time mining/extracting lithium, copper, etc. to build EVs.

The company behind this revolutionary solution to reduce carbon emissions is SunHydrogen, Inc. (OTC: HYSR), a U.S. based technology company, dedicated to the development of breakthrough technologies to make, store and use green hydrogen across a wide range of industrial applications. The Company’s core technology is its patented SunHydrogen Panel, currently in development, which harnesses the power of sunlight to split water molecules into high-purity green hydrogen and oxygen.

Converting water to hydrogen is not new science. Electrolysis has been around for centuries, and more recently, as the world searches for means to reduce our carbon footprint, brown, blue and green hydrogen have become increasingly important tools in the transition away from fossil fuels. However, brown hydrogen is produced from natural gas through a process called steam methane reforming. This method releases carbon dioxide (CO2) as a byproduct and although it may (or may not) result in lower emissions than traditional fossil fuels, it’s still not ideal. This becomes blue hydrogen if some form of carbon capture is used to prevent the CO2 from being emitted to the atmosphere, but that obviously adds to the overall cost.  

SunHydrogen is working on green hydrogen which is produced through electrolysis powered by renewable sources such as wind, solar, or hydroelectric power. Green hydrogen is considered environmentally friendly, emitting no greenhouse gases during production or consumption. But there can still be challenges given a vast majority of today’s green hydrogen producers transport their product over long distances, so although the hydrogen itself is green, the delivery and transport infrastructure creates a higher carbon footprint.

That’s where SunHydrogen is developing the game changing solution to become the best of the greenest. It all starts with their Photoelectrosynthetically Active Heterostructures (PAH), which is a fancy, and hard to pronounce name for the nanoparticles the Company uses. Each PAH nanoparticle is a microscopic machine, composed of multiple layers enabling the solar electrolysis reaction to take place. It’s a process similar to what happens inside a plant cell during photosynthesis. Billions of microscopic nanoparticles split apart water at the molecular level, extracting hydrogen with the added benefit that SunHydrogen’s technology can utilize water of varying purities versus conventional electrolyzers that require high-purity water for operation.

But what happens when the sun isn’t shining? No problem, the prototype hydrogen generation panel (see below) was also designed to support 24-hour operation even when the sun is not shining, by powering the catalyst and membrane integration assembly with renewable grid electricity from wind or hydropower sources.

Source: SunHydrogen, Inc. Feb 7, 2023 Press Release

It would seem that SunHydrogen has thought of almost everything. Now all they have to do is take that last step from prototype to commercial-scale hydrogen panels. The good news is, with over US$30 million in cash and several ongoing joint venture collaborations they are well positioned to make this a reality.

SunHydrogen, Inc. trades at a market cap of US$77 million.




Peter Cashin of Imperial Mining Talks about Scandium and its Crater Lake Project in Quebec

In this InvestorIntel interview during PDAC 2023, Byron W King talks to Imperial Mining Group Ltd.‘s (TSXV: IPG | OTCQB: IMPNF) President, CEO, and Director Peter Cashin about an update on Imperial Mining’s Crater Lake Project in Quebec, Canada that focusses on scandium and rare earths. Speaking about the NI 43-101 PEA for its Crater Lake Project, Peter provides an update on Imperial Mining’s patented technology for the extraction of scandium and rare earths.

With the global scandium supply dominated by Russia, Peter discusses how scandium is a critical mineral with several crucial applications in aerospace, defense, EV battery sector, and hydrogen production. He mentions that scandium is an important alloying agent with aluminum that makes it lighter, stronger, and corrosion and heat-resistant. He goes on to discuss how scandium can help in reducing carbon footprint as it is used in solid oxide fuel cells and will be part of the hydrogen infrastructure. Peter adds, “we’re working on some strategic alliances that I think will be very important announcements for our shareholders.”

To access the full InvestorIntel interview, click here.

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About Imperial Mining Group Ltd.

Imperial is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company focused on the advancement of its technology metals projects in Québec. Imperial is publicly listed on the TSX Venture Exchange as “IPG” and on the OTCQB Exchange as “IMPNF” and is led by an experienced team of mineral exploration and development professionals with a strong track record of mineral deposit discovery in numerous metal commodities.

To learn more about Imperial Mining Group Ltd., click here.

Disclaimer: Imperial Mining Group Ltd. is an advertorial member of InvestorIntel Corp.

This interview, which was produced by InvestorIntel Corp., (IIC), does not contain, nor does it purport to contain, a summary of all the material information concerning the “Company” being interviewed. IIC offers no representations or warranties that any of the information contained in this interview is accurate or complete.

This presentation may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and assumptions of the management of the Company as of the date made. They are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual events/results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those that the Company does not know about now or that it currently deems immaterial, may also adversely affect the Company’s business or any investment therein.

Any projections given are principally intended for use as objectives and are not intended, and should not be taken, as assurances that the projected results will be obtained by the Company. The assumptions used may not prove to be accurate and a potential decline in the Company’s financial condition or results of operations may negatively impact the value of its securities. Prospective investors are urged to review the Company’s profile on Sedar.com and to carry out independent investigations in order to determine their interest in investing in the Company.

If you have any questions surrounding the content of this interview, please contact us at +1 416 792 8228 and/or email us direct at [email protected].




Chad Clovis of Karbon-X Talks about the Launch of its Carbon Credits App

In this InvestorIntel interview during PDAC 2023, Melissa Sanderson talks to Karbon-X Corp.’s (OTC: KARX) CEO and Director Chad Clovis about how Karbon-X is providing carbon credits to everyday citizens wishing to reduce their carbon footprint. Through Karbon-X’s web application and their upcoming mobile apps, Chad explains how they provide users an easy way to offset their carbon footprint or greenhouse gas emissions by supporting a project of their choice that has real-world, positive environmental impacts.

Providing an update on Karbon-X’s portfolio of projects in reforestation, ocean cleanup, and direct air capture, Chad discusses how Karbon-X offers carbon credits to industrial users as well.

Chad also discusses the app’s functionalities, including the monthly subscription fees and gifting options, as well as the PDAC initiative called “Drill Green” which allows resource companies to offset their exploration, construction, and extraction impacts.

To access the full InvestorIntel interview, click here.

Don’t miss other InvestorIntel interviews. Subscribe to the InvestorIntel YouTube channel by clicking here.

About Karbon-X Corp.

Karbon-X Corp is a tech-based carbon marketing company specializing in the sale of carbon credits to everyday citizens wishing to reduce their impact on the planet. The company gives users the ability to pick a project that interests them, and subsequently re-invests into carbon offset generating projects that matter most to their users. Industrial users are also afforded the opportunity to offset their environmental impact through the Karbon-X Drillgreen initiative, details of which can be found at drillgreen.ca.

To know more about Karbon-X Corp., click here.

Disclaimer: This interview, which was produced by InvestorIntel Corp. (IIC) does not contain, nor does it purport to contain, a summary of all the material information concerning the “Company” being interviewed. IIC offers no representations or warranties that any of the information contained in this interview is accurate or complete.

This presentation may contain“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and assumptions of the management of the Company as of the date made. They are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual events/results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those that the Company does not know about now or that it currently deems immaterial, may also adversely affect the Company’s business or any investment therein.

Any projections given are principally intended for use as objectives and are not intended, and should not be taken,  as assurances that the projected results will be obtained by the Company. The assumptions used may not prove to be accurate and a potential decline in the Company’s financial condition or results of operations may negatively impact the value of its securities. Prospective investors are urged to review the Company’s profile on Sedar.com and to carry out independent investigations in order to determine their interest in investing in the Company.

If you have any questions surrounding the content of this interview, please contact us at +1 416 792 8228 and/or email us direct at [email protected].




Is it an ESG Armageddon or are you The Survivor?

Net Zero Carbon – Article 4. A possible way towards meeting an ever-expanding ESG agenda.

Wow. Article 4 is here already and this will finalise my thoughts on how ESG Concerns are going to have an influence on the Net Zero Carbon goals. And as a reminder, this is only two points off the list. Further articles will address the issues of Technology, Power Requirements, and Human Resources.

In my first article, I introduced a planning dilemma that I had been tasked to look into. Mining in a First Nations National Park. Sounds daunting but there are planning/decision steps you can control and others you cannot. This ESG response that follows was part of my solution to that dilemma. It is also a major part of the ESG issues that will be faced as we attempt to advance on a Net Zero Carbon future. It is also my generic model for any resource business.

As we move into an age where accountability looms large, it would seem obvious that our systems, our processes, and our outputs need to be transparent, understandable, and very importantly defensible. You may think of your systems as your legal defence should things go astray or as your curriculum vitae (CV) to attract/impress your stakeholders.

Step 1. International certification of your management systems.

The International Standards Organisation (ISO) is an independent, international organisation with a membership of 167 national Standards bodies. Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.

OK. That’s the official words but what is it to us? It’s independent. It’s internationally accepted. It’s certification of your management systems through thorough independent, industry-experienced professionals who audit every relevant aspect of your business. So, your environmental management system can get the ticks (ISO 14000 series). As can your safety and health system (ISO 45000 series). This is where you can address the recent EID (Equality, Inclusion, Diversity) inclusions as a mental health related issue. You can also include your risk management systems (ISO 31000 series). And it will also be wise to include your quality systems (ISO 9000 series) as the internationalisation of the Net Zero Carbon solution progresses. That may seem like a lot of expense (it isn’t if you do it properly). I prefer to define it as the cost of doing business. It’s your instruction manual. It’s the way we do business. It’s also a line of defence should anyone challenge your credentials. I prefer to see it as a starting point to excellence. Remember the First Nations National Park.

Step 2. Becoming a Best-in-Class operation.

Now you may think that ISO certification is a pretty good standard to reach. As it is. And it’s cost effective if you think of it as a type of corporate insurance policy. I use it as the glue of the business. Operation to the Standards, verified by independent audit, is a foundation that maintains the status quo, while capturing any gains your business can attain through commencing the journey to best-in-class. The Standards don’t really help here in the way of further improvement. The Standards encourage a continuous improvement ideal but of themselves do not provide the mechanism to get to a position of excellence. I will introduce a suite of tools which when used properly provide an excellent road map through regulatory compliance, ISO certification and onwards to best-in-class.

I would like to introduce DNV. Det Norske Veritas. (The Norwegian Truth).

DNV are an independent expert in assurance and risk management. Driven by their purpose, to safeguard life, property and the environment, they empower their customers and their stakeholders with facts and reliable insights so that critical decisions can be made with confidence. As a trusted voice for many of the world’s most successful organisations, they use their knowledge to advance safety and performance, set industry benchmarks, and inspire and invent solutions to tackle global transformations. For us, though I would like to reference three of their system development products.

The International Safety Rating System (ISRS).

ISRS consists of 15 key processes, each embedded in a continual improvement loop. Each process contains sub-processes and questions. It is designed as a measuring tool but I have used it in reverse by utilising the questions within the sub-processes to design the steps and activities needed to build the management systems itself. So your progress through regulatory compliance, ISO certification and progress to best-in-class can be planned effectively and rolled out as part of your normal business planning process.

The following is an extract from the DNV website.

An ISRS assessment is a thorough evaluation of these questions and involves interviews with process owners where the questions are scored and commented. The scope of the assessment is entirely flexible determined by the size and complexity of the organisation and the management team’s requirements. Detailed verification is conducted and organisations must be prepared to offer evidence to support their answers. The process scores determine an overall level of performance between one and ten. The results provide a detailed measure of performance and a gap analysis against the organisation’s desired level of performance. This becomes the planning basis for improvement during the next period. ISRS seventh and eight editions are structured with 15 processes embedded in a continuous improvement loop:

  1. Leadership
  2. Planning and administration
  3. Risk evaluation
  4. Human resources
  5. Compliance assurance
  6. Project management
  7. Training and competence
  8. Communication and promotion
  9. Risk control
  10. Asset management
  11. Contractor management and purchasing
  12. Emergency preparedness
  13. Learning from events
  14. Risk monitoring
  15. Results and review

During my early years of developing ESG systems, the ISRS protocol was extensively used around the world and is available today. To expand the ISRS concept, DNV further developed IERS (environmental) and IQRS (quality). I used these protocols to fully integrate ESG into the normal business planning process. And then the benefits can be clearly seen and achieved (My next series of articles: Better business outcomes using ESG principles).

Step 3. Communicating with stakeholders

Having developed your systems and implementing best-in-class processes, you want a return. This clearly comes by effective communications with your stakeholders. Everyone should know about your efforts and achievements. How else do you think you will be trusted/selected to do that First Nations National Park project? How else do you think the Critical Minerals developments necessary to attempt to reach Net Zero Carbon will continue to get effective and expeditious approvals from the regulatory bodies? How can you provide a response to the eco-challengers that are surely lurking ready to cancel you? And very importantly, how to convince prospective employees that you are the industry that they wish to base their careers around?

Here are some promised references you may wish to peruse to help your thinking on the Net Zero Carbon quest. You may think I am biased towards the negative on this issue. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have sufficient solar power installed such that I require no annualised input from the grid; I am self sufficient in water supply; I am an active recycler and my property has been developed with full ESG aspirations in mind. The fact that I haven’t provided more fact based pro-Net Zero articles is purely to do with, well, they are not available, compared to the numerous pro-nuclear and negatively focused anti Net Zero Carbon debate. I will keep you posted.

The Australian newspaper, January 11th 2023

Ted O’Brian. Federal Government opposition energy spokesman.

Nuclear Energy? Who better to ask than Japan, whose history is inextricably linked to it.

Comment: Part of the Australian proposed debate on the future of nuclear power.

The Rice Video – CO2 in perspective, Malcolm Roberts. The Galileo Movement.

One Australian view of the issue of anthropological climate change.

Comment: A little old, but the numbers used are factual.

Till next article, stay safe.




We need to take a hard look at the Availability of Critical Minerals

Faith is accepting something as true that you can’t prove or disprove. But anthropogenic climate impact enthusiasts rise from faith to fanaticism, because they refuse to even contemplate disproof.

A few years, or even a few centuries of non-reproducible, and therefore non-verifiable, temperature data, accepted on faith even though it cannot be repeated or verified, can be used to model a system, but not to prove that it accurately describes the future of the system. Any model must use only verifiable data collected, and the model must be tested successfully and repeatedly giving the same results each time in order to represent a true model of nature.

Most scientists until just a century ago believed that atoms were only a descriptive model designed by men to simulate the real world by reducing observable phenomena to entities whose properties could be treated as mechanical objects and the motions of which could be calculated by the as then developed mathematical systems of the calculus and statistics.

The properties of gases could be described and analyzed this way, but only by very few men who had mastered the mathematics and Newtonian dynamics, and this was done in successive additions to conceptual schemes until the systems broke down in contradictions. Thus the atom of antiquity became the atom of Dalton, then of Mendeleev, then of Rutherford, Bohr and Moseley, and beyond. We call the practical workers with atoms and their combination “chemists.” Today we accept their conclusions as true if and only if their equally qualified companions agree with them. We call this validation, “peer review.”

For several centuries now students of nature have first mastered the work of those great minds that went before them and then spent most of their lives teaching others to do the same thing. A few of them go on to expand our knowledge and understanding of the world, and the great engineers sometimes work out how to devise uses derived from that understanding, so that even ordinary people could master in their daily lives devices such as the telephone, radio, television, the personal computer, the personal mobile phone, the automobile, the airplane, and so on.

Scientists and engineers rarely begin a project by examining the availability of critical materials necessary for the mass production of a technological device. They only want to prove a concept, either that the science allows the technology to function or that the device can be manufactured or mass produced at a cost the consumer or industrial buyer can afford.

Journalists and politicians and most bureaucrats and academics today are simply not specifically well educated enough to judge the availability of critical materials. Nor are they clever enough, generally, to know who to ask if a natural resource can be produced in sufficient quantity, economically, to support a mass produced technology.

The mineral abundance data is out there. We have extensive surveys of the mineralogical makeup and concentration of most discoveries of critical minerals that have been made, but for some reasons, more and more I believe, “political reasons,” policy makers do not want to ask whether we have access to sufficient economically recoverable mineral deposits, or if there is economic processing capability and capacity to put them into end-user form.

Those who tell us that we must change the world to survive or face extinction have been around for a long time. But rarely have they had the ability to destroy our civilization through mandating very bad choices.

The critical minerals for the technologies to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide by changing the way we produce and use electrical energy are not infinite in supply. Mines are not organic; they live and die when the grade (concentration) of the mineral falls below human technology’s ability to produce it economically.

We can moderate our use of fossil fuels, but there are no technologies known or plausible that can replace them.

We need to take a hard look at what we’re doing to our energy economy and how we can balance energy reality with energy fantasy. Critical minerals drive the ability of our society to manufacture the technologies for alternate production and use of electrical energy. Their availability is a very big part of that. It’s time we took a very hard, informed by experience and data, look at it before we waste all of the time and effort it took to achieve a low-cost energy economy.




Investing themes for 2023 Part 1 – Food Waste

Hello 2023! So long and good riddance to 2022. From a personal investment perspective, I’m more than happy to look at 2022 in the rear-view mirror. My year-end portfolio review was a sobering reminder of what I already knew, another lesson in humility that hopefully I will continue to learn from to become a better investor. Now it’s a time for renewal and the look ahead to what might be in store for us in the weeks and months to come. What investment themes will emerge that will help soften the blow of the damage done in 2022. A healthy share of fossil fuel exposure in the first half of last year would have gone a long way to mitigating the carnage inflicted by big tech and crypto. Uranium and lithium stocks also started out the year strong but seemed to lose momentum as the year came to a close. Everyone seems to think we’ll all be driving EV’s in short order, but the stock price of many of those companies have been crushed of late. Are these buy the dip opportunities or is the market coming to the realization that we might be a little early for some of these trades?

I’m not sure that I have any useful insights for you based on my 2022 portfolio performance, but over the next couple of weeks I will take a stab at a few themes that might start to gain traction as 2023 progresses. With that said, there are several enormous macro issues (China/Taiwan, Russia/Ukraine, resurgent Covid to name just a few) out there that could completely trash any ideas I have and put them far from the focus of investors. Nevertheless, we have to start somewhere, so today we’ll explore a broad theme of food security, sustainability and food waste reduction as inflation takes its toll on consumers world wide.

Food waste and spoilage statistics are quite alarming. According to the UN Environment Programme, about one-third of food produced globally for human consumption each year is lost or wasted. That is approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of edible food. Saving just a quarter of food lost or wasted globally each year would feed 870 million people. Not only does this result in financial losses but it also increases greenhouse gas emissions (another key theme and global focus). Are there ways to fix this? Yes. But similar to reducing our global carbon footprint it’s going to take time and a concerted effort. However, I would argue that there is a much greater economic incentive today to reduce food waste given everyone’s concern about food prices relative to opinions even as recent as a year ago.

One group at the forefront of trying to remedy this situation is TrustBIX Inc. (TSXV: TBIX | OTCQB: TBIXF). As an innovative leader, TrustBIX provides agri-food traceability and chain of custody value solutions. The Company’s goal is to create a world where we trust more, waste less and reward sustainable behaviour by addressing consumer and agri-food business demands. The proprietary platform, BIX (Business InfoXchange system), is designed to create trust without compromising privacy through innovative, blockchain-derived use of technology and data.

Source: TrustBIX Fact Sheet

The existing customer base includes hundreds of producers, auction markets, and feedlots. TrustBIX has a market presence in Canada, the USA, China, Mexico, and a healthy baseline of one-time and recurring revenue. Some notable customers include two of the largest beef companies in Canada, JBS Canada and Cargill, as well as household names such as McDonald’s and Loblaw’s (Real Canadian Superstore). Additionally, the Company will be presenting at this year’s CES (Consumer Electronic Show) in Las Vegas where they will be exposed to plenty of industry heavyweights. Even more exciting for the company is that they will be on a panel discussing “Cross-Industry Opportunities for Consumer Tech” along with John Sheehan, a Strategy and BD executive with Amazon Web Services’ Aerospace & Satellite group. That seems like someone worthwhile getting to know, especially for a Company with a market cap of only C$3 million.

Will TrustBIX be a good way to play the food security and waste prevention theme in 2023? Only time will tell. But I dare say that the food theme will at least start the year at or near the top of everyone’s list of concerns.




Net Zero Carbon and other “planning dilemmas” Part 2

In Part 1 of this series, I introduced the concept of going to the plan’s end result and working backwards through the planning process. I recommend this for some of the more difficult planning tasks, as it eases the mental burden. By that I mean, when faced with the challenge of planning for the world to meet a net zero carbon by 2050, the mental challenge is enormous. So, let’s break it down.

A world that is meeting a net zero carbon target by 2050 will have to have achieved many linked but somewhat individual tasks and schedules. There are simply too many individual tasks to list, so I’m going to try and sub-group so that we can at least get a conceptualized overview of the challenges ahead.

  1. Physical Resources.
  2. Technology.
  3. ESG Concerns.
  4. Power Requirements.
  5. Human Resources.

I’ll try and cover each sub-group and provide linkages as we develop our thoughts. FYI. I have heeded my own advice here and started the process from the end and worked backwards. What you’ll see are my thoughts and impressions formulated over many years in Critical Materials, ESG management, and planning, coming together hopefully with each article to get us all on board and with a clearer, more transparent, an honest view of the Net Zero Carbon issue, a Net Zero future and its requirements.

OK. Let’s start with Physical Resources. You will have all been made aware by various reports that the amount of Physical Resources required for electric cars, wind turbines, solar power farms etc. is enormous. If not gigantic. It is certainly numbers of orders of magnitude bigger than current production levels. It is staggering to try to imagine 10 times (for example) the production of lithium, copper, chromium, rare earths, etc not to mention the steel and aluminum required for associated infrastructure. But let’s put the issue of scale aside for the moment. I want to first dispel the notion that recycling will be the answer. I am not going to say that recycling is not important and should not be avidly pursued, but what I am saying is that recycling is not the “big-ticket” answer to the Physical Resources requirements. I’ll demonstrate with a mathematical exercise.

Let’s look at the current level of batteries (as an example). We need an assumptions list. We need a current output level, let’s use a starting point of 100 units. Each battery will last 10 years. The growth in the need for batteries is positive 10% per year. These absolute numbers are not really important in this discussion. It is the understanding of where they take us that’s important. OK. Question one – how much recycling can you do in year 1? Answer – None. There are no batteries to be recycled. They last for ten years! So not until year 11 are batteries available for recycle and these are the now “dead” year 1 units. 100 of them only. Then 110 in year 12. 121 in year 13.

I know I have simplified the situation but as I will repeat throughout this series of articles, it’s the overall impact that needs to be understood, not the detail as such. Look at the following table of units needed to meet demand, the resources needed versus the effectiveness of recycling capacity.

Year Batteries Demand Additional Capacity to supply Recycle Available Cumulative Additional Capacity Utilize Recycle to get new Capacity
1 100 0 0 0 0
2 110 10 0 10 10
3 121 21 0 31 31
4 133 33 0 64 64
5 146 46 0 110 110
6 161 61 0 171 171
7 177 77 0 248 248
8 194 94 0 352 352
9 213 113 0 465 465
10 234 134 0 599 599
11 258 158 10 757 747

So, it’s not until year 11 that recycled batteries have any effect. The battery demand and the resources required will have increased between 6 and 8 times by then. In fact, it won’t be until at least year 15 that any noticeable effect of recycling will be noticed. So, recycling may be a small part of an eventual solution, but it is not the saviour. Only increased output is. And increases in mining, processing, refining and manufacturing of this scale is to say the least challenging. And to meet the time challenge of 2050?

Well, let’s muddy the waters of our planning process a little more and introduce the complication of co-dependence. And by that I want you to think about the example of making electric cars. To make one car you need enough of the various components to do that. Obviously! But what happens if you do not have any of component X? (Think of the current microchips issue for example). The whole schedule stalls until the production level of component X meets the needs for that volume of production. Now think back over the last ten years at the junior rare earths space. Why haven’t they developed the capacity to meet the predicted needs? Well, the end user, the car companies in this example, didn’t expand as fast as first thought (or is that hoped?) and the explorer couldn’t get market contracts to justify getting the development capital. So, the co-dependence of the car company and the junior explorer, stalled the junior’s development. In fact, it shut down many of the juniors. Those that managed to stay alive are now facing more years to get back up and the co-dependence will again surface as the slow ramp up of rare earths output will directly impact the growth of the output of electric cars! What is the impact of this co-dependence of mining development for the rare earths in the magnets needed for electric car output requirements in 2050? It will take some planning. Especially when you throw in the mix the co-dependence of all the other resources required, particularly those critical materials with a long timeline to development.

Another term I use is cross-dependence. Again, in the electric car example, the vertical supply chain for each element or assembly, or whatever, can be influenced by a separate although essential vertical supply chain. Let me explain. If you need as an example to create a vertical supply chain for each of three new components, say, the magnets (from rare earths), the batteries (from lithium) and microchips (from silica), will the planning process allow for the indefinite delay in one or more of the components? That is to say, can the rare earths development timeline needed for the magnets be affected by an extensive delay in the creation of a process, or development of the resource, for say, lithium? Or silica? Of course, it can. The justification for the planned development of one is impacted by the achieved development timeline of the others. The car needs a number of successful developments in critical minerals in separate supply chains (and other components) to reach the final stage, producing the required number of vehicles by the timeline stated. And they have to have matching timelines otherwise the imbalance will cause a market condition where the component being developed the fastest may be stalled by the delay in the component being developed the slowest. Although co-dependence is taught in most Economics courses, as it is standard supply chain logic, cross-dependence has become much more odious today as the need for new components comes to light. And this is only the Physical Resources. Can you see this isn’t a simple “Supply Chain” issue. Its not one component we are looking at here. It’s many. It’s a “Supply Array” issue!

Now we are getting started! Now consider the implications of the Republicans’ defeat at the last USA elections. Did that have implications for the 2050 target? You betcha! As will the EU response to the looming energy crisis across Europe this winter. I’ll call this dependence Geopolitical or GP-Dependence. So, we now have added another dimension to the planning process. The planning dilemma has to deal with a “Supply Matrix”! Wasn’t in my Economics 101.

Now, that’s just for electric cars! You now have to throw in co-dependence, cross-dependence and GP-dependence with all those other required developments that together meet the 2050 target, some of which it has been stated that the technology does not yet exist! And remember, all of these developments are competing for the same resources! The Critical Minerals at least. This “Planning Dilemma” is on a scale probably never seen in the Western World. Well, not since World War II.

I think that’s enough on the Physical Resources issue. There have been many articles, reports etc on this topic from others, but don’t forget the reasoning behind the issues of recycling, co-dependence,  cross-dependence and GP-dependence. It will come back later.

I’m looking forward to reviewing the Battle of the ESG Titans online debate as ESG is a passion of mine. Since the Battle was live at 3am Thursday morning 15th December in my part of Australia, I will change the order of the 5 sub-groups listed above for discussion. I’ll discuss ESG concerns next (article 3), to incorporate thoughts from The Battle, and discuss Technology in article 4.

I’m thinking: have a great time over the holidays, stay safe and see you next time.




Dan Blondal of Nano One Materials on its patented lithium-ion battery cathode technology

In this InvestorIntel interview with host Byron W. King, Nano One Materials Corp.’s (TSX: NANO | OTC: NNOMF | FSE: LBMB) CEO, Director & Founder Dan Blondal provides an update on Nano One’s patented One-Pot process and metal-direct-to-cathode-active-material (M2CAM) technology for production of lithium-ion battery cathode materials.

In the interview, which can also be viewed in full on the InvestorIntel YouTube channel (click here), Dan Blondal talks about the versatility of Nano One’s One-Pot process which is suited for multiple battery chemistries like lithium iron phosphate (LFP), nickel-rich (NMC), and manganese-rich (LNMO) cathode materials. Dan explains how Nano One’s M2CAM technology eliminates 100% of the sulphate waste in traditional standard lithium-ion battery cathode manufacturing to reduce cost, complexity, and carbon footprint of the process.

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About Nano One Materials Corp.

Nano One Materials Corp. (Nano One) is a clean technology company with a patented, scalable and low carbon intensity industrial process for the low-cost production of high-performance lithium-ion battery cathode materials. The technology is applicable to electric vehicle, energy storage, consumer electronic and next generation batteries in the global push for a zero-emission future. Nano One’s One-Pot process, its coated nanocrystal materials and its Metal to Cathode Active Material (M2CAM) technologies address fundamental performance needs and supply chain constraints while reducing costs and carbon footprint. Nano One has received funding from various government programs and the current “Scaling of Advanced Battery Materials Project” is supported by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) and the Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund of the Province of British Columbia.

To learn more about Nano One Materials Corp., click here

Disclaimer: Nano One Materials Corp. is an advertorial member of InvestorIntel Corp.

This interview, which was produced by InvestorIntel Corp., (IIC), does not contain, nor does it purport to contain, a summary of all the material information concerning the “Company” being interviewed. IIC offers no representations or warranties that any of the information contained in this interview is accurate or complete.

This presentation may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and assumptions of the management of the Company as of the date made. They are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual events/results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those that the Company does not know about now or that it currently deems immaterial, may also adversely affect the Company’s business or any investment therein.

Any projections given are principally intended for use as objectives and are not intended, and should not be taken, as assurances that the projected results will be obtained by the Company. The assumptions used may not prove to be accurate and a potential decline in the Company’s financial condition or results of operations may negatively impact the value of its securities. Prospective investors are urged to review the Company’s profile on Sedar.com and to carry out independent investigations in order to determine their interest in investing in the Company.

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Nano One Strives For Sustainability and a Total Domestic North American Lithium Ion Battery Supply Chain

My biggest takeaway from COP26 is not so much climate action and emission reduction, but the message of sustainability. Without focusing on the importance of sustainability one risks thundering down a path of unintended consequences. What do I mean by this? Several years ago I read that if we could convert all coal fired power generation to natural gas it would achieve the Kyoto emission target. I can’t confirm if this is completely accurate or not, regardless it would have been a large step in the right direction (despite still being a fossil fuel based solution). At the time it would also have been achievable with existing, available resources and bought the world some time to continue building out renewable resources, which is the ultimate end game. However in 2021, with the lack of energy investment over the last several years due to a combination of factors, that isn’t the case today, and we are starting to see parts of the world where renewables haven’t developed enough by themselves to even keep people warm this winter. Meanwhile, the fossil fuel alternatives aren’t any longer as readily available as backup and may still not even provide enough for home heating. I understand the urgency of eliminating coal fired power, but if there aren’t enough alternative power options to keep people warm then who knows what happens next.

That’s why I think in order to successfully green our economy and reduce our global carbon footprint, the focus has to be on how to do it sustainably. One company that has to be at or near the top of the list in the transition to clean energy in a sustainable way is Nano One Materials Corp. (TSX: NANO). Nano One is a clean technology company with a patented, scalable and low carbon intensity industrial process for the low-cost production of high-performance lithium-ion battery cathode materials. The technology is applicable to electric vehicle, energy storage, consumer electronic, and next generation batteries in the global push for a zero-emission future. Nano One’s One-Pot process, its coated nanocrystal materials, and its Metal to Cathode Active Material (M2CAM) technologies address fundamental performance needs and supply chain constraints while reducing costs and carbon footprint.

Another facet of sustainability that is very applicable today is the supply chain. Currently, the cathode supply chain is long and complex. Nano One manufactures its cathode materials directly from nickel, manganese, and cobalt metal powder feedstocks rather than metal sulfates or other chemical salts. The metal powders used are one fifth of the weight of metal sulfates, avoiding the added costs, energy, and environmental impact of first converting to sulfate and then the shipping and handling of waste. The manufacturing process for all of its Cathode Active Material (CAM) uses lithium feedstock in the form of carbonate rather than of (lithium) hydroxide, which is costly, corrosive and harder-to-handle. The process is feedstock flexible which enables improved optionality of sourcing of raw materials. Nano One’s technology aligns it with the sustainability objectives of automotive companies, investment communities and governmental infrastructure initiatives.

On Tuesday, November 10, 2021, Nano One announced the goal of building a fully integrated and resilient battery supply chain in North America, which must include responsible mining of battery metals, onshore refining, environmentally favorable cathode material production, and recycling. The Company believes there is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a secure and cost competitive supply chain that is domestically integrated with a low environmental footprint. Accordingly, Nano One is shifting its LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) cathode material strategic direction to large emerging markets outside of China, starting in North America, and has ceased joint development activities with Pulead Technology Industry.

LFP production is free from the constraints of nickel and cobalt, and although its origins are deeply rooted in Canada, its growth over the last decade is almost entirely based in China. Recent LFP cell-to-pack innovations have driven costs down and enabled greater EV range, setting the stage for EV pioneers to shift to LFP. The need has never been greater for a sustainable, responsible, and secure supply of LFP materials and batteries, to be established and supported in North America and Europe, proximal to where the EV’s are manufactured. Canada has clean energy assets, responsibly sourced critical minerals, and a rich history in LFP technology and manufacturing. By leveraging these opportunities with the Company’s simplified low-cost approach to cathode production, Nano One seeks to create a resilient value-added North American LFP supply chain in a collaborative ecosystem with a smaller environmental footprint.

There you have it. A company that sees the bigger picture and embraces sustainability in an effort to advance clean technology while reducing both costs and the overall carbon footprint. If this were a video, at this point I would simply drop the mic and walk away. Since it’s an article and I need a conclusion I’ll finish off by saying Nano One has the potential to have its technology in every EV built in North America and Europe, and that’s going to be a pretty big number in the not too distant future.