Italian engineering firm Engitec Technologies has been contracted to expand a lead battery recycling facility in Spain.
The Metalurgica de Medina plant at Medina del Campo, in northwest Spain, will be expanded by some 600 square metres and increase processing capacity from more than 30,000 tonnes of batteries annually to around 120,000 tonnes a year.
The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2019. Engitec did not disclose the cost of the project.
Engitec commercial director Alberto Bergamaschini told BEST Battery Briefing the expanded “compact design” facility would continue to use Engitec’s CX lead recycling technology.
“A few new concepts and equipment developed by Engitec will be introduced, including a new heavy duty hammer mill and rotating screen separator with the ability to process all AGM batteries,” Bergamaschini said.
“Lead, lead alloys and polypropylene recovered in the recycling process is sold to battery manufacturers and reused to produce new batteries.”
According to Bergamaschini, the existing plant has the “unique capability to process all industrial batteries without the need for pre-sorting or pre-crushing activity”.
Meanwhile, Engitec is in the process of building a lead-acid battery recycling plant in China’s northeastern Liaoning Province— designed to meet latest stringent anti-pollution regulations.
BBB understands the project— for Liaoning Teli Environmental Protection Technology— includes a “very advanced air pollution control system” designed by Engitec. The plant will feature a paste super-desulferisation unit and will be able to process more than 150,000 tonnes annually of lead-acid batteries.
Latest technology will be deployed to handle all processes from scrap battery feeding up to the production of refined lead ingots, Engitec said.
The plant is expected to start production in early 2020. Potential future expansion plans could see Teli processing up to 300,000 tonnes of scrap batteries annually.
BEST Battery Briefing reported earlier this month that China was cracking down on illegal lead recycling and promoting the development of lead storage battery production and lead recycling.
