9 April 2024
1. ABRI Member Sponsorship Opportunities - 2024 Australian Battery Manufacturing and Recycling Summit – 15 August 2024 - Sydney
Exciting news: Preparations for the 2024 Summit are progressing well. In the next month the Summit website, initial speaker lineup, early bird ticket and public sponsorship opportunities will be launched.
In the interim, ABRI is offering members an early opportunity be part of the sponsorship lineup for the 2024 Summit. Conference brochure and further details.
The Summit is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to the sector and promote your products and services to a broad audience across the battery value chain. In 2023, there were over 300 visits to the inaugural Summit materials website. With an enhanced approach and early interest in attending, the 2024 Summit is expected to attract even greater interest.
Thanks to those ABRI members who have already expressed an interest in sponsorship.
The 2024 Australian Battery Manufacturing & Recycling Summit will bring together experts to discuss the priorities for enabling the industry to reach scale, and maximise investment and export opportunities. The one-day Summit will have a mix of local and international keynote speakers, panel discussion and expert presentations focusing on: leadership in commercialising emerging technology best practice OEM delivery of a battery circular economy maximising export opportunities addressing logistics challenges.
For further information, please email ABRI CEO, Katharine Hole.
2. Developing standardised frameworks for storage of used batteries
ABRI members frequently raise with me the need for standardised frameworks for storage of used lithium batteries particularly for large volumes. This framework is required to support consistency in planning and environmental approvals as well as provide a benchmark for insurance companies.
On 8 April, I met with Standards Australia to discuss standards and lithium battery storage. They are going to review their work program, identify gaps and consider putting on a workshop to determine standards needs in this area. Standards Australia already has a project underway looking at storage and handling for new energy storage batteries.
In the interim, ABRI is commencing a working group to develop a proposal to submit to Standards Australia for a standard for safe storage of EV (passenger and light vehicle) and energy storage (excluding grid scale) batteries at end of life. The working group will be supported by technical specialists within ABRI’s affiliate members – Lote Consulting and Mendham Consultants. Lote Consulting specialises in fire safety and security. Mendham Consulting is an engineering firm specialising in all aspects of dangerous goods handling and storage.
All ABRI members are welcome to join the group. The first meeting is online 2pm Thursday May to discuss a draft project scope, next steps and member priorities. Register here. ABRI will also look at inviting other organisations to join the group who are also interested in this work.
Please contact me, Katharine Hole, ABRI CEO, for further information.
3. Modular battery recycling facility study
Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre (FBICRC) are undertaking a FEED (Front End Engineering Design) study under a NSW Govt grant. The FEED is being delivered through Lycopodium, an engineering consultant. It has just started and will go until Feb 2025.
The logistics of battery recycling in Australia are very different to those in Europe, where battery use is concentrated within relatively close distance to recycling facilities and distance is not a key parameter in the economics. European facilities are able to recycle all the way through to discrete metals and battery grade pre-cursor products. In Australia, the distances required for batteries to be transported for recycling make the European model unworkable, both from an economic and a fire safety perspective.
It is the FBICRC’s view that Australia is more suited to a distributed system of recycling, whereby battery recycling is conducted in small facilities located in regional centres and where physical separation of wrapping and graphite is achieved, followed by leaching and precipitation of a mixed metal product. The high value and chemically safe mixed metal precipitate is then transported to a central facility on a national or a state basis.
The scope is to design a generic modular battery recycling facility (say 100kg batches) involving the following process stages:
Collection / Storage at site
Discharge of batteries in a salt-water bath
Shredding of batteries: Wet shredding to contain fluorine emissions
Organic Leach: To remove binder material and free components
Screening: to remove metals and plastics
Fume control
Reagent Handling
Waste Plastic Drying/Packing
Product Packing
Wastewater treatment.
The study will include +/-25% Capital Cost Estimate, P&IDs, process design, risk and safety studies. It includes all non-lead acid batteries, from coin cells up to golf cart batteries. FBICRC are interested in any best practice or experience with such a modular facility, which could inform the study.
For further information please contact James Westcott, Project Director, via email.
4. Changes to the Australian Dangerous Goods Code
The National Transport Commission’s Manager Legislative Maintenance, Debra Kirk, presented to ABRI members on two sets of changes to the Australian Dangerous Goods (ADG) Code:
Introduction of ADG 7.9 from 1 October with key changes:
New UN numbers and provisions for sodium ion batteries
Changes to the provisions for battery powered vehicles, including the creation of three new UN numbers
Changes to the exemption from type testing for production runs and pre-production prototype of lithium cells or batteries
Consultation on proposed provisions for a revamped Code for consideration by Ministers in late 2024 with a target commencement date of 2026
Further information is available in the presentation on the ADG major review on the National Transport Commission’s website.
5. ABRI Member Events
2 May Online 2pm – ABRI Working Group - exploring standards for storage of used lithium batteries. Register here.
15 Aug Sydney – 2024 ABRI Battery Recycling & Manufacturing Summit
6. ABRI media, submissions and stakeholder engagement
16 April - Fire Protection Association (FRA) Australia Webinar - Problems with the Recycling and Disposal of Batteries - ABRI CEO, Katharine Hole, panel representative
1 May - ABRI presentation Circular Economy of Batteries at Solar & Storage Live, Brisbane
20 May - Department of Climate Change, Energy and Environment E-stewardship Reform Working Group