Aqua Metals Joins the Russell 2000 Index

ALAMEDA, Calif., June 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aqua Metals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQMS), which is commercializing AquaRefining™, a non-polluting electrochemical lead recycling technology, today announced that it was added to the Russell 2000® Index after market close on June 24, 2016.

"We are very pleased to join the Russell 2000 Index,” said Dr. Stephen Clarke, Chairman and CEO of Aqua Metals.  “This is an important milestone for Aqua Metals and represents an opportunity to increase our visibility within the public market investment community.”

Aqua Metals is building the world’s first AquaRefinery in Nevada’s Tahoe Reno Industrial Complex, which is slated to begin operation early in the third quarter of 2016.

The Russell 2000 Index measures the performance of approximately 2,000 of the leading small company stocks in the United States. FTSE Russell, a leading global index provider, determines membership for its equity indices primarily by objective, market-capitalization rankings, and style attributes.

Indexes provided by FTSE Russell are widely used by investment professionals for index funds and as benchmarks for investment strategies.  Approximately $6 trillion in assets are benchmarked to the Russell Indexes.

Market analysis on the Russell Indexes is available at https://www.ftserussell.com/research-insights/russell-reconstitution.  

About Aqua Metals, Inc. 
Aqua Metals is reinventing lead recycling with its patent-pending AquaRefining technology. Unlike smelting, AquaRefining is a modular, room temperature, water-based process that is fundamentally non-polluting. These modular systems allow the lead acid battery industry to simultaneously improve environmental impact and scale production to meet demand. Aqua Metals is based in Alameda, California, and is building its first recycling facility in Nevada’s Tahoe Reno Industrial Complex. To learn more, please visit www.aquametals.com.

Safe Harbor 
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning Aqua Metals, Inc., the lead-acid battery recycling industry, the future of lead-acid battery recycling via traditional smelters, the Company’s development of its commercial lead-acid battery recycling facilities and the quality, efficiency and profitability of the Company’s proposed lead-acid battery recycling operations. Those forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially. Among those factors are: (1) the fact that Company has not yet commenced revenue producing operations or developed its initial commercial recycling facility, thus subjecting the Company to all of the risks inherent in a pre-revenue start-up; (2) risks related to Aqua Metals’ ability to raise sufficient capital, as and when needed, to develop and operate its recycling facilities; (3) changes in the federal, state and foreign laws regulating the recycling of lead-acid batteries; (4) the Company’s ability to protect its proprietary technology, trade secrets and know-how and (5) those other risks disclosed in the section “Risk Factors” included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 28, 2016. Aqua Metals cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur.

Aqua Metals Investor Relations:
MZ North America
Greg Falesnik
Senior Vice President
Main: 949-385-6449
greg.falesnik@mzgroup.us 

Released June 29, 2016