battery recycling

Industry calls for LIB deposit return scheme in Germany

A series of major fires at waste recycling facilities has led Germany’s lawmakers to investigate the introduction of a compulsory deposit return scheme for lithium-ion batteries.

The proposal, by Germany’s federal association for disposal, water and raw materials management (BDE), is initially focused on halting the disposal of batteries in discarded toys and electronic devices— but could include electric bikes and cars, BEST Battery Briefing(BBB) understands.

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Industry warned on reputational risk from rogue battery recyclers

The lead battery industry has been praised for ramping up efforts to tackle rogue recyclers— whose illegitimate activities have been linked to rising death rates in nearly 60 countries.

The president of non-profit organisation Pure Earth, Richard Fuller, told the International Lead Association’s (ILA) Pb2019 conference in Madrid “informal recyclers” were a threat to human health and posed reputational risks for the legitimate lead industry.

international lead association

Investment booster for Pb recycling process in UK

Aurelius Environmental, which is pioneering a lead-acid battery recycling process in the UK, is to invest £1.5 million (US$1.9m) in advanced ‘green’ technology after securing a debt funding package.

Miles Freeman, CEO of Aurelius and former operations director of Ecobat Technologies, said the business would invest in machinery that “produces virtually zero waste— allowing us to provide a more sustainable and environmentally friendly process to the market”.

The announcement comes less than two years after Aurelius and research partner Cambridge University were awarded an EU grant of €1.3m ($1.5m) to develop ‘Fenixpb’— a hydrometallurgical process that produces lead oxide directly from spent batteries.

Aurelius Enviornmental

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MIdlands Engine Investment Fund

Bullish Aqua Metals set for lead production boost

US lead-acid battery recycler Aqua Metals has told shareholders the company is on course for an estimated 25% increase in lead metal production after completing the first phase of a capital programme.

The company said the production increase would come from its first full production run of lead bullion from a newly commissioned third kettle— used to process the hard lead from the batteries it breaks.

A new filter press has also been installed and started up and a new centrifuge has been installed, Aqua Metals confirmed on 28 March.

OEMs ‘should pay for recycling’ to ease EV transition

The cost of recycling used electric vehicle batteries should be covered “at least in part” by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), according to proposals by Europe’s energy storage industry.

Such a move should form part of measures to “address the barriers that hamper the uptake of storage”, the European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE) has said in a new position paper.

The paper recommends EV batteries be used in the stationary energy storage market once they are no longer suitable for their initial purpose, describing it as “a significant opportunity for car and battery manufacturers, but also EV owners who would be able to replace a part of their initial investment in the EV battery”.

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eu

Eurobat bid to curb ‘lost’ EV batteries

Europe is being urged to overhaul regulations to ensure more lithium-ion batteries are kept in the bloc for recycling— instead of being ‘lost’ when end-of-life electric vehicles are exported to be scrapped.

The Association of European Automotive and Industrial Battery Manufacturers, Eurobat, has warned the “relative scarcity of these batteries entering the recycling stream is currently preventing the development of a business case for recyclers”.

This makes lithium-based EV batteries a net ‘taker’ of raw materials, Eurobat said.

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Eurobat

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US marks ‘Battery Day’ with Li recycling centre launch

The Department of Energy (DoE) marked ‘National Battery Day’ in the US with the launch of the country’s first lithium-ion battery recycling centre.

The ‘ReCell Center’ has been set up at the Argonne National Laboratory to “help the United States grow a globally competitive recycling industry and reduce [its] reliance on foreign sources of battery materials”, the DoE said.

Lithium-ion batteries in the US are currently collected and recycled at a rate of less than 5%. The DoE aims to eventually “profitably capture 90% of all lithium based battery technologies”, and subsequently “recover 90% of the key materials” from lithium batteries.

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory

BCI safety ‘toolkit’ to keep lithium out of lead recycling

Battery industry leaders have launched a campaign to combat the “serious threat” to lead-acid recycling operations from the disposal of lithium-ion batteries.

Lead battery trade industry body Battery Council International (BCI) said potential explosions caused by lithium batteries entering the recycling stream puts workers and equipment in recycling centres at risk.

But according to a BCI survey of 123 battery sorting and handling companies, 21% of respondents did not provide or receive training for new employees, 19% of respondents “were not sure” what to do with lithium batteries received and 5% indicated they “did not know the difference” between lead-acid and lithium batteries.

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Batteries Council International

battery recycling

Engitec building lead recycling plants in Spain, China

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.

Testing begins at American Manganese recycling plant

American Manganese (AM) has reported reaching a “great milestone” in its work towards “a complete lithium-ion battery recycling process” by beginning operation of its five stage pilot plant operation in Canada.

AM’s processing partner Kemetco Research has started processing a select sample of cathode scrap material at AM’s lithium-ion recycling pilot plant in British Columbia.

The cathode scrap material is being processed through stages 1 and 2 of the pilot plant, which will see the sample undergo pre-treatment and then leaching.

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North America

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