Xerion Advanced Battery Corp. has launched a groundbreaking pilot-scale cobalt refining plant in Dayton, Ohio, marking a turning point in U.S. industrial independence. The Xerion U.S. cobalt refinery project is designed to challenge China’s dominance in cobalt refining—currently responsible for over 70% of the world’s output—and strengthen America’s control over vital materials used in electric vehicles, defense systems, and aerospace technologies.
Cobalt, a key ingredient in lithium-ion batteries, powers everything from electric cars to military drones and missile guidance systems. Despite its importance, cobalt refining is highly concentrated in China, while most raw cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo—a region fraught with human rights and ethical concerns.
John Busbee, Xerion’s CEO and co-founder, emphasized the urgency: “Everybody’s been worried about China’s leverage. Now they’ve shown they’ll cut off critical minerals. So everybody’s like, ‘What do we do?’”
One-Step Innovation in Cobalt Refining
What sets the Xerion U.S. cobalt refinery apart is its revolutionary one-step refining process. Using electricity and molten salt, Xerion extracts ultra-pure cobalt from raw materials in a highly energy-efficient way. Originally designed for making battery electrodes, the method now offers a dual benefit: clean battery materials and defense-grade cobalt production.
According to Busbee, “We always knew cobalt was a critical mineral. It’s something we thought about addressing later. But now, with the global trade war, we’re prioritizing it.”
From Pilot Plant to National Asset
The Dayton facility will initially produce five metric tons of cobalt annually. While small in scale globally, this amount is significant when measured against U.S. military demand, which ranges between 5,000 and 10,000 tons per year. Xerion’s sights are already set on scaling up to a 2,000-ton-per-year facility—a move that could cover a substantial portion of the national supply.
Even at its current size, Busbee notes the plant is cost-competitive with Chinese facilities, owing to Xerion’s low-energy, high-efficiency refining technology.
National and Economic Security at Stake
The Xerion U.S. cobalt refinery is more than just a startup milestone—it’s a strategic asset in the race for mineral security. As America accelerates its electric vehicle adoption and upgrades military capabilities, dependence on foreign cobalt sources becomes a risk factor. Xerion’s solution not only shortens the supply chain but also reduces the environmental footprint by eliminating traditional smelting and chemical-intensive steps.
By pioneering sustainable mineral processing within U.S. borders, Xerion is positioning itself at the intersection of innovation, national security, and economic resilience.
