What is the deal here and some Fundamental Questions ?

I have questions and I think it would be beneficial for investors if somebody knowledgable could explain a few fundamental things:

1. Can somebody explain why AUZ refining nickel is such a big deal when Townsville had a nickel refinery all the years that went broke and now might reopen:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-13/clive-palmer-townsville-nickel-refinery-safety-concerns/10893384
2. AUZ intends to a produce/refine nickel sulphate. Why is the Nickel price even relevant when this is a totally different compound?
3. Please explain where and why Nickel sulphate is used in Lithium batteries, certainly not mentioned here : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery
I can only find 2 formulas with Nickel in a non sulphated form, while new chemistry exists that uses only Lithium and Sulphur:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium%E2%80%93sulfur_battery
4. If the sulphated nickel for some reason (hopefully answered in 3.) makes things easier for the battery manufactures, wouldn't it be simpler and more cost effective to use Palmers plain old Nickel from his refinery or Nickel oxide and produce it by dissolution in sulphuric acid?
5. Palmers plant also produces Cobalt. According to the report it costs $100 million to fix it. So why spend 1.3billion for a new plant that just refines Cobalt and Nickel sulphate?
Wouldn't it be far more financially feasible for AUZ to buy this off Palmer so he can focus more on trying to not suck as a politician?