lead-acid batteries

Monbat acquisition paves way for lead recycling expansion

Bulgarian lead-acid company Monbat said it plans to expand its used battery-processing services after taking a majority stake in Italian engineering company Science Technology & Consulting (STC).

Monbat said on 26 July it was acquiring a 67% share in STC— whose operations include implementing high-quality breaking and separation solutions in lead paste desulfurisation and crystallisation units in addition to lead smelting and refining technologies.

Monbat

lead-acid batteries

Science Technology & Consulting

recycling

advanced battery concepts

bipolar

China rejects lead waste shipment in crackdown

China has sent back a 150-ton shipment of sludge derived from recycled lead-acid batteries as part of its new policy to ban imports of global waste.

Customs chiefs in the city of Yantai, in the eastern Shandong Province, seized 153 tons of lead sludge during an inspection and ordered it sent back to the source, which has not been named, the state Xinhua News Agency reported.

South African Pb start-up awarded bipolar development grant

Elektron Energy, the South African lead-acid battery start-up, has been awarded around €250,000 (US$282,000) from the EU and national funding authority (DST)-backed Eureka Eurostars initiative to develop its next generation bipolar batteries.

The manufacturer plans to begin initial pilot production of its bipolar batteries— using intellectual property from UK-based Mega Amps and nano-structured leady oxide from Aurelius Environmental— in its facility in Strand, Western Cape. The project is due to begin commercialisation by mid-2022.

Aurelius Environmental

Exide Technologies eyes growth after recapitalisation

US battery manufacturer Exide Technologies has expansion in its sights after completing “comprehensive” new financing and recapitalisation of the business.

As part of the recapitalisation, Exide said it had issued US$150 million of new international notes generating net proceeds of around $125m.

IQ Power picks up Pb investment boost

German SLI battery producer IQ Power Licensing has welcomed a US$2 million investment boost as the company writes “a new chapter” for lead-acid batteries.

IQ, which produces Pb batteries mainly for the global automotive and storage markets, said it had won an additional $1.5m in working capital from an institutional lender that provided the company with $14m in financing just months ago.

360° electrolyte mixing technology

Batteries in ‘golden period’, but vigilance needed for lead

Battery technology is in a “golden period”, but lead-acid in particular still faces potential regulatory obstacles in Europe, manufacturers have been warned.

Dr Steve Binks (pictured), regulatory affairs director of the International Lead Association, told the Pb2019 conference in Madrid there had “never been a period where battery technology was so recognised as being critical” to e-mobility, energy storage and combating climate change.

international lead association

Dr Steve Binks

lead-acid batteries

Lithium-ion

European Battery Alliance

Study considers Pb solution to power EV charging stations

The US state of Missouri is backing proposals that could see lead batteries used to provide power at electric vehicle charging stations.

Missouri’s Division of Energy has awarded a competitive grant to support a Consortium for Battery Innovation (CBI) feasibility study that will investigate advanced lead battery energy storage deployed alongside EV charging points at state gas (petrol) stations.

lead-acid batteries

Consortium for Battery Innovation

Missouri

EV charging stations

Paragon Business Solutions

companies

chemistries

battery policy

Lead battery recovery campaign rolls out in Alaska

An initiative to recover and recycle more than 42,000 pounds (19,050kgs) of lead-acid batteries from remote communities in Alaska has been launched by the US-based Responsible Battery Coalition (RBC).

The non-profit RBC, has teamed up with the Solid Waste Alaska Taskforce (SWAT) for the collection this summer from the first 12 of 35 communities participating in the two-year pilot programme.

Responsible Battery Coalition

lead-acid batteries

sustainability

recycling

RSR Technologies wins Miksiewicz award

US lead-acid battery recycler RSR Technologies has won the Sally Miksiewicz Innovation Award for R&D leading to production of its new Supersoft-Hycycle alloy.

The award was presented to the company at Battery Council International’s (BCI) annual convention in New Orleans.

Sally Miksiewicz Innovation Award

Supersoft-Hycycle alloy

RSR Technologies

Battery Council International

lead recycling

lead-acid batteries

CBI puts world’s lead energy storage projects on the map

More than 120 lead battery-powered energy storage projects worldwide have been highlighted in a new online map by the Consortium for Battery Innovation (CBI).

The map, featured on the CBI’s web site, includes diverse case studies demonstrating successful lead battery energy storage installations from the US, to Asia and Europe.

CBI director Dr Alistair Davidson said: “We are seeing growing interest in lead battery energy storage for utility and renewables systems all over the world. The aim of this initiative is to highlight some of these installations and encourage companies to share other examples we can highlight demonstrating the variety of projects currently in place.”

lead-acid batteries

lead mining

Battery minerals

Consortium for Battery Innovation