Metal recycling firm Aqua Metals has commenced shipments of its Aqualyzer equipment to Taiwan secondary lead alloy smelter ACME Metal.
ACME plans to build the world’s first licensed AquaRefining facility following the signing of a definitive agreement to deploy and license the lead battery recycling equipment at its facility in Keelung, Taiwan.
The shipments from the US and in-country equipment suppliers established in Taiwan, will support the facility.
The facility will produce ultrapure AquaRefined lead briquettes for ACME Metal’s Asia Pacific-based battery manufacturing customers as the firm looks to develop a direct battery-grade oxide production process.
Ben Taecker, chief engineering and operations officer, Aqua Metal, said: “We have finalised the Phase 1 deployment plans and begun the transition from design and shipments to execution and commissioning of the Phase 1 deployment at ACME Metal, where our team will supervise the installation, provide commissioning and training, and handover ongoing operations of the Phase 1 implementation to ACME by Q2 2022.
“We will also finalise the details for the Phase 2 scale-up planned to take place later in 2022.”
Aqua Metals is developing AquaRefining for lithium-ion batteries to recover the critical minerals in the batteries.
