Engitec Technologies, which claims to have installed about the 50% of the world battery recycling capacity, has launched a new smaller scale lead battery recycling plant and is poised to finalise the first contract for a small-scale recycling plant with a west African customer.
It will include the foundry, the refining and the ingot caster.
Addressing the Recycle100 secondary lead recycling conference in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Stefano Buono, Area Manager for Engitec Technologies, said the CX Smart is aimed at smaller customers in emerging countries with limited capacity. It can handle 12,000 tonnes of batteries a year, corresponding to the production of up to 6,700 tonnes per year of soft lead/alloys and up to 600 tonnes per year of polypropylene recovered.
It can cast four tonnes of ingots per hour, collect and filter electrolyte, separate components, filter lead paste and smelt lead. It has scrubber filtration and a 1.5 cu m rotary furnace.
This CX Smart plant is much smaller than Engitec’s biggest CX 50tph breaker, which can handle 50 tonnes per hour.
Buono said he believes the CX Smart will be well received. It will be available for commission next year. “It’s targeted at emerging markets where logistics can be a problem in areas where batteries are restricted to a territory.”
The growth of large-scale container shipping (with vessels having capacity of 20,000 TEU) had led to a drop in freight rates, and Engitec expects them to stabilise at around $4,800-5,500 per container. This higher rate provides a good opportunity for regional economies to flourish. Before the pandemic, a 20-foot container was available for shipping at costs as low as $1,200.
The plant requires a covered building of 1,300 square metres for the technological line, compared to 40,000 sq m for the CX 50tph, and a total area of 3,000 sq m, less than the 120,000 sq m for the biggest breaker.
He said the cost of the CX Smart breaker will depend on the scope of the supply but could amount to €4–5 million ($4.3–5.4 million).
Fellow area manager Daniele Silla later told BEST the west Africa contract is “done” but is being held up by financing considerations. He expects these to be resolved.
