Aqua Metals Named Platts Global Metal Awards Finalist in Three Categories

Company Recognized in Breakthrough Solution of the Year, Deal of the Year, and Industry Leadership in the Base & Specialty Metals Categories

ALAMEDA, Calif., March 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aqua Metals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQMS), (“Aqua Metals” or the “Company”), which is commercializing a non-polluting electrochemical lead recycling technology called AquaRefining™, was named Platts Global Metals Awards finalist in three categories: Breakthrough Solution of the Year, Deal of the Year, and Industry Leadership – Base & Specialty Metals category.

Platts Global Metals Awards honor the top performers, leaders and innovators in the metals industries. In 2016, Aqua Metals won the Rising Star award and was recognized in the Industry Leadership – Base & Specialty Metals category. Aqua Metals executives are set to attend the awards ceremony on May 18, 2017, where winners will be announced.

Aqua Metals was recognized for its innovations in lead recycling with its AquaRefining process, the industry’s first environmentally friendly lead-acid battery recycling technology. Additionally, the Company is being honored for securing a strategic partnership with Johnson Controls, the world’s largest manufacturer of automotive batteries.

“It is an honor to once again be nominated for such a prestigious industry award,” said Dr. Stephen Clarke, chairman and CEO of Aqua Metals. “This is an exciting time for Aqua Metals and for the lead-acid battery industry as we ramp up production at our first facility and expand to continue to meet our partner needs.”

Aqua Metals’ patented AquaRefining process is a closed-loop, room temperature electrochemical process that emits virtually no harmful byproducts. The modular design of the AquaRefining technology enables unprecedented deployment flexibility, allowing for the co-location of lead-acid battery manufacturing, distribution and recycling. For the first time, the lead industry has an environmentally and economically sustainable solution to efficiently meet even the most stringent environmental regulations.

The Company is rapidly expanding its production capabilities as it scales the first facility and plans additional facilities. Additionally, Aqua Metals chose a launch customer for the AquaRefining licensing business through the deal with Johnson Controls. Together, Johnson Controls and Aqua Metals plan to deploy AquaRefining in Johnson Controls facilities throughout North America, China and Europe, per a blueprint the companies will announce in the future. As Aqua Metals scales up capacity, it plans to hire hundreds of employees for existing and future operations across the United States.

About S&P Global Platts
Platts is the leading independent provider of information and benchmark prices for the commodities and energy markets. Customers in over 150 countries look to Platts’ expertise in news, pricing and analytics to deliver greater transparency and efficiency to markets and help them make better informed trading and business decisions. Founded in 1909, Platts’ coverage includes oil and gas, power, petrochemicals, metals, agriculture and shipping. A division of McGraw Hill Financial, Platts is headquartered in London and employs over 1,000 people in more than 15 offices worldwide. Additional information is available at http://www.platts.com.  

About Aqua Metals
Aqua Metals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQMS) is reinventing lead recycling with its patent pending  AquaRefining™ technology. Unlike smelting, AquaRefining is a 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 rapidly growing 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 the Company only recently  commenced revenue producing operations, 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 Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 2, 2017. 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 Media Relations:
Antenna
Sharon Golubchik
Senior Director
201-465-8008
aquametals@antennagroup.com

Aqua Metals Investor Relations:
MZ North America
Greg Falesnik
Managing Director
Main: 949-385-6449
greg.falesnik@mzgroup.us
www.mzgroup.us

Released March 27, 2017