Comstock Metals Integrates and Automates Front Stages of Industry-Scale Production

Comstock Inc. (NYSE: LODE) (“Comstock” and the “Company”) and Comstock Metals LLC (“Comstock Metals”), a leader in the responsible, zero-landfill recycling of end-of-life solar panels with the first certified North American operations announced that it has integrated, tested and operated the robotic loading and initial conveyance system, representing the front-end stages of its production process as part of the overall commissioning of its first-of-a-kind, industry-scale solar recycling facility. 

The operating system has three major operating stages that are currently being integrated, individually stress tested and commissioned. This represents another significant step toward the full commissioning, start up and continuous operation of the 100,000 ton per year solar panel recycling production line. The robotic arms and the continuous loading and conveyance systems that feed the initial crushers are now fully integrated and operational. See a video here.

“We are pleased to report that, as of last week, we completed the wiring, interconnection of the PLC systems, integration and testing of the first third of the plant, and specifically the robotic loading arms and that the initial tests all resulted in effective and expedient loading of the panels into the system. In fact, the loading systems capacity test exceeded our estimated capacity design maximums by 10%,” stated Corrado De Gasperis, CEO of Comstock. “The team will now stress test the particle size reduction stage of the system and continue forward into our proprietary process integration and testing. We remain on track for stress testing those components over the next two weeks.” 

Comstock Metals’ robotic arms feeding solar panels onto conveyance system.

“We are now well into the process of bringing the industry-scale production plant online while taking great care to make sure each stage is working as designed and to specification and then stress-testing these processes at volumes representing the equipment’s stated capacities,” stated Dr. Fortunato Villamagna, Comstock Metals President. “The front end is now actually working better than initial designs and has been tested and operating, and we will continue moving through the rest of the production system in that same sequence, such that by next month, the nine distinct unit operations will all be operational together. We are also now leveraging the modular nature of the start-up process to train and develop the operating crews to move from a 24/5 to a 24/7 on a 12-hour rotating shift basis.”

The start-up sequence is largely dictated by the engineering requirements and, to a lesser extent, the responses to continued requests for materials and samples from the growing population of potential offtake customers. 

While we work on bringing the recycling process online, we also continue to stress-test the secondary upgrading processes for the offtake products, especially glass, in order to ensure compliance with customer specifications as we continue expanding our addressable markets for those products,” continued Villamagna. “The operating team and the personnel development that resulted from a multi-year demonstration facility is now proving extremely beneficial. These developmental and commissioning activities, along with all aspects of integration, testing, tuning and staged stress testing will continue throughout July, while continuous operations should commence this August.” 

Comstock Inc. | www.comstock.inc