US firm Aqua Metals, Inc. is a step closer to revolutionising the lead-acid battery recycling industry after buying 12.5 acres in Nevada’s Tahoe Reno Industrial Center (TRIC).
The company is hoping to start building its first AquaRefinery™ on the land by mid-2015 and be fully operational by the first quarter of 2016.
The company claims the facility will be more efficient, and produce cheaper, purer lead by avoiding conventional smelting methods and offering a ‘greener’ alternative to the recycling industry. It could be fully operational by the first quarter of 2016.
The technology, once proven, will answer questions over the toxicity associated with lead-acid battery manufacturing including primary mining and battery recycling.
The facility will initially process around 80 tonnes of pure lead a year.
After the company has proven the technology works it will look to supply equipment under licence to third parties or enter joint ventures with the goal of replacing all smelters.
Steve Cotton, Chief Commercial Officer of Aqua Metals, said: “By opening the first ultra-clean lead acid battery recycling facility, Aqua Metals’ goal is to allow batteries to be thoughtfully and cleanly reprocessed.”
The company is currently in a quiet period. It has a patent-pending electrochemical battery recycling technology.