Aqua Metals, Inc. will participate in the NAATBatt International 2026 Recycling & Lifecycle Management Workshop scheduled for July 7-9 at Michigan State University. The company's executive leadership team will engage with industry stakeholders to discuss scalable domestic solutions for battery recycling and circular supply chains.

President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Cotton is set to deliver a featured presentation on July 7 titled "Innovative Approaches to Recycling LFP: Building Circular Supply Chains for the Full Battery Lifecycle." Following the presentation, Cotton will join an executive panel to discuss the future of lithium battery recycling and lifecycle management.

The workshop addresses the growing prominence of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in electric vehicles and stationary energy storage systems. As this chemistry becomes the fastest-growing segment, the industry is prioritizing the development of solutions for manufacturing scrap, warranty returns, repowering projects, and end-of-life battery management.

Cotton emphasized the shifting role of recycling in the industry, stating that it is increasingly viewed as an integral part of supply chain strategy rather than solely an end-of-life consideration. He highlighted the necessity of collaboration among industry leaders to scale battery recycling and build resilient, circular supply chains capable of supporting rapid growth in battery manufacturing and energy storage.

Aqua Metals' participation reflects its continued engagement with battery manufacturers, automotive OEMs, energy storage developers, recyclers, research institutions, and policymakers. These interactions are intended to inform the company's technology development and strategic planning while strengthening relationships within North America's battery ecosystem.

The 2026 workshop follows the company's significant involvement in the 2025 event held in Reno, Nevada, where Aqua Metals hosted more than 100 industry leaders for tours of its Innovation Center and lithium battery recycling pilot facility. Those tours showcased the company's hydrometallurgical recycling technology and brought together representatives from across the North American battery value chain.

Aqua Metals, Inc. has been selected as the industrial partner for a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded research program led by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) focused on advancing next-generation battery recycling technologies. The project will evaluate electrochemically driven alternatives to conventional solvent extraction for the separation of nickel and cobalt from lithium-ion battery recycling streams. This initiative supports the development of more efficient and economically competitive domestic critical minerals refining technologies.

Aqua Metals will contribute its battery recycling expertise, pilot-scale operating experience, and Tahoe-Reno Innovation Center infrastructure to support the program. The collaboration strengthens Aqua Metals' relationship with the DOE and one of the nation's leading energy research laboratories while reinforcing the Company's position as a technology leader in electrified battery materials refining.

The project highlights the versatility of Aqua Metals' technology platform across both lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery chemistries. This reinforces the Company's ability to adapt to evolving battery markets and feedstock streams. The DOE-funded research program reflects continued federal investment in next-generation battery recycling and critical minerals refining technologies.

"This collaboration demonstrates the continued strategic value of Aqua Metals' investments in next-generation battery recycling technologies," said Steve Cotton, President and CEO of Aqua Metals. "Our Tahoe-Reno Innovation Center and demonstration plant provide a unique platform capable of processing real battery-derived materials and generating commercial-scale operating data that bridges the gap between laboratory research and industrial deployment. We believe the future of domestic critical minerals refining lies in electrified processes that lower operating costs, reduce chemical consumption, and create a more resilient North American battery supply chain, and this collaboration further supports that long-term vision."

Traditional battery recycling and critical minerals refining rely heavily on sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, solvent extraction reagents, and other consumable chemicals. Aqua Metals' long-term technology strategy is to electrify battery materials refining wherever practical by replacing recurring chemical consumption with electrochemical process integration and reagent regeneration technologies. The Company believes domestic critical minerals refining will only achieve long-term competitiveness if U.S. operators can fundamentally reduce operating costs while reducing dependence on imported chemical supply chains and conventional refining reagents.

Strategic Investment and Infrastructure

The DOE-funded INL project complements Aqua Metals' existing AquaRefining™ platform, which utilizes patented electrochemical reagent regeneration and process integration to reduce the consumption of conventional refining chemicals. AquaRefining™ has been demonstrated at pilot scale on multiple battery chemistries using real battery-derived feedstocks.

Aqua Metals' Tahoe-Reno Innovation Center remains central to this work. The Company has invested more than $25 million in pilot infrastructure, engineering, technology development, and operating experience. This investment has created one of the industry's few operating battery recycling pilot facilities capable of processing commercial battery-derived materials and generating real-world process data. The facility supports both Aqua Metals' near-term commercialization initiatives and the advancement of next-generation battery recycling technologies.

Aqua Metals' participation highlights the strategic value of the Company's pilot-scale infrastructure and technical expertise in supporting the advancement of domestic refining capabilities. The Company does not expect the project to have a material impact on its near-term financial results.