American Battery Tech gets up to $100M export approval
ABAT says its first commercial-scale recycling facility near Reno began operations in 2023, while its second facility is supported by $150 million in competitive DOE grants.
Sentiment and the balance of points
Rhea-AI Sentiment reads the wording of the document, how positive or negative its language is on a 1 to 5 scale. The balance of points shown with the takes weighs what the document actually discloses, so the two can disagree, for example when a trial that missed its main goal is described in upbeat language.
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
American Battery Technology Company (ABAT) received approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security for a license to export recycled black mass for sales of up to $100 million, under specified terms. The approval follows recently enacted federal export controls governing critical battery materials.
ABAT operates a commercial-scale recycling facility near Reno that began operations in 2023, processing end-of-life batteries and manufacturing scrap into materials including black mass, copper, aluminum, steel and lithium-rich intermediates. The company cited over 400% year-over-year revenue growth in fiscal 2026 and said its second recycling facility is supported by $150 million in competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Energy. Black mass contains lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite for further refining.
How this balance works
Rhea-AI gives every point it takes from this document a weight. Minor counts 1, Moderate 3 and Major 9, so one Major point outweighs several Minor ones. The bar adds up the weights on each side, and when neither side holds more than 65% of the total the balance reads Mixed.
It reads the document as published, with the same rules for every company, and it does not look at what the market expected or at how the stock traded, so a point can be objectively good on a day the stock falls.
Rhea-AI Sentiment measures something else, the tone of the wording.
Positive
- Moderate pointBIS export license authorizes sales of up to $100 million in recycled black mass.
Negative
- None.
Insights
Analyzing...
8-K Event Classification
Key Figures
Key Terms
black mass technical
Defense Priorities and Allocation System (DPAS) license regulatory
federal export controls regulatory
lithium-rich intermediates technical
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What does ABAT’s BIS export license authorize?
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date
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Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 8.01. Other Events.
On October 1, 2026, American Battery Technology Company (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing that the Company received approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security for a license to export certain recycled black mass material, following the implementation of recently-enacted federal export controls governing critical battery materials.
A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibits 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit Number | Description of Exhibit | |
| 99.1 | Press Release, dated October 1, 2026 | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File. The cover page XBRL tags are embedded within the inline XBRL document (contained in Exhibit 101) |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| AMERICAN BATTERY TECHNOLOGY COMPANY | ||
| Date: October 1, 2026 | By: | /s/ Ryan Melsert |
| Ryan Melsert | ||
| Chief Executive Officer | ||
Exhibit 99.1
American Battery Technology Company Receives Approval for Sale of $100 Million of Exported Recycled Black Mass Critical Minerals with License from U.S. Department of Commerce
Significant scale-up of commercial operations at American Battery Technology Company’s domestic U.S. critical mineral recycling facility, demonstrated by its over 400% year-over-year revenue growth and leadership in domestic critical mineral manufacturing
Reno, Nev., Oct. 1, 2026 – American Battery Technology Company (NASDAQ: ABAT), an integrated critical minerals manufacturing company commercializing technologies for both primary critical minerals manufacturing and secondary recycled minerals manufacturing, announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) for the sale of up to $100 million of its recycled black mass material through a license to export under specified terms following the implementation of recently enacted federal export controls governing critical battery materials.
“We are grateful for this license and continued support from the U.S. government for the sales of our domestic critical mineral products as we scale both our current critical mineral recycling facility and also our second recycling facility supported by $150 million in competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Energy,” said Ryan Melsert, CEO of American Battery Technology Company. “As demonstrated by the progress reflected in our fiscal year 2026 financial results, we continue to successfully execute on the commercialization of our technologies and expand our role within the critical minerals value chain.”
This Defense Priorities and Allocation System (DPAS) license follows a year of significant commercial and operational progress for American Battery Technology Company (ABTC). As highlighted in the company’s recently reported fiscal year 2026 financial results, ABTC continues to advance the commercialization of its critical mineral recycling technologies, expand customer engagement, and execute against its strategy of building a domestically integrated critical minerals platform. The ability to continue selling exported recycled black mass critical minerals supports current operations, strengthens the company’s market position, and further enhances its ability to capitalize on growing demand for critical minerals across global supply chains.
ABTC currently operates its first commercial-scale critical mineral recycling facility near Reno, Nevada, where it processes end-of-life batteries and manufacturing scrap into strategically recovered materials, including copper, aluminum, steel, lithium-rich intermediates, and black mass. The facility began commercial operations in 2023 and utilizes the company’s internally developed battery recycling technologies.
Black mass contains valuable critical minerals, including lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and graphite, which can be further refined and returned to the critical mineral supply chain for the manufacturing of new products. ABTC has previously emphasized its commitment to supporting the development of a North American closed-loop circular economy through the recovery, recycling, and reuse of critical minerals.
The company remains focused on expanding domestic critical mineral production through both recycling and primary resource development initiatives, helping strengthen U.S. supply chain resilience and support the growing demand for critical minerals essential to electrification, energy storage, and national energy security.
About American Battery Technology Company
American Battery Technology Company (ABTC), headquartered in Reno, Nevada, has pioneered first-of-kind technologies to unlock domestically manufactured and recycled battery metals critically needed to help meet the significant demand from the electric vehicle, stationary storage, and consumer electronics industries. Committed to a circular supply chain for battery metals, ABTC works to continually innovate and master new battery metals technologies that power a global transition to electrification and the future of sustainable energy.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are “forward-looking statements.” Although the American Battery Technology Company’s (the “Company”) management believes that such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that such expectations are, or will be, correct. Forward looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning: the effect of the BIS license to export black mass, changes in government policy regarding critical minerals, and our ability to develop domestic sales channels of black mass; offtake agreements with customers; the Company’s future sales of products to customers, including the amounts, timing, and types of products included within those sales; potential loans, grants, and debt financing arrangements, including due diligence, the amount and type of debt, its syndication, and the schedule for closing; the scale of the battery recycling operations; the anticipated production from the integrated pilot facility; the scale, construction, and operation of the battery recycling operations, integrated pilot facility, Tonopah Flats Lithium Project, and commercial lithium mine and refinery; and the costs, schedules, production and economic projections associated with the foregoing. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company’s future results to differ materially from those anticipated. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks and uncertainties related to the Company’s ability to maintain its BIS license to export black mass; the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern; interpretations or reinterpretations of geologic information, unfavorable exploration results, inability to obtain permits required for future exploration, development or production, general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which the Company operates; the uncertainty of regulatory requirements and approvals; fluctuating mineral and commodity prices, final investment approval and the ability to obtain necessary financing on acceptable terms or at all. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is available in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2026. The Company assumes no obligation to update any of the information contained or referenced in this press release.
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American Battery Technology Company
Media Contact:
Tiffiany Moehring
tmoehring@batterymetals.com
720-254-1556