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1. BATTERY RECYCLING A FEEDSTOCK FOR BATTERY MANUFACTURING |
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Research, commercialisation and investment in lithium battery recycling continues at pace to grow the link with battery manufacturing:
- Aqua metals announced the recovery of high-purity lithium hydroxide from lithium-ion battery black mass at the company’s recycling facility located near the Tesla Gigafactory in Nevada, USA. The production and availability of the recycled lithium hydroxide at scale is a key step in closing the supply chain loop for critical minerals.
- Electra announced completion of plant-scale recycling of black mass material and recovery of critical metals, including nickel, cobalt, and manganese, needed for the electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chain using its proprietary hydrometallurgical process at its refinery north of Toronto.
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2. R&D INVESTMENT IS CRITICAL TO UNDERPINNING A STRONG BATTERY CIRCULAR ECONOMY |
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The importance of R&D investment and support for commercialisation is critical to underpinning a battery circular economy as highlighted in the Li-Bridge US battery supply chain action plan to:
- Improve investment attractiveness of U.S.-based lithium battery technology and material production through expanded and better designed supply- and demand-side incentives
- Support research, enable product and business model innovation, and accelerate pathways to commercialization through investments in R&D and validation & scaling capabilities
- Help U.S. companies secure access to critical minerals, energy material supplies (virgin and recycled, domestic-and foreign-sourced) and low-carbon infrastructure
- Address know-how gaps by investing in workforce training
- Establish an enduring U.S. public-private partnership to support the development of a robust and sustainable lithium battery supply chain in North America
Li-Bridge is the US public-private alliance committed to accelerating the development of a robust and secure domestic supply chain for lithium-based batteries.
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3. BATTERY RECYCLING INDUSTRY VALUE ADD MORE THAN MINERALS RECOVERY |
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Commercialisation of battery recycling technologies is a growing sector showing that there is greater value add to the industry than solely minerals recovery and production of battery materials.
In February, ACE Green Recycling and STC announced an MOU to collaborate on the construction of battery recycling facilities. STC will specialise in the construction and manufacturing of recycling equipment and overall engineering and project management activities, integrating STC’s proprietary technologies with ACE’s zero Scope 1 emissions technologies for lead and lithium-ion batteries. STC and ACE will also explore opportunities for licensing and co-marketing their battery recycling technologies. STC specialises in building plants and equipment for battery recycling and lead production.
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4. GROWING PRESSURE TO RECYCLE BATTERIES AND BAN BATTERIES IN LANDFILL IN RESPONSE TO CONSUMER BATTERY FIRES IN WASTE FACILITIES |
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Governments globally are introducing a range of measures to stop the disposal of consumer batteries in waste streams and consequent fires:
- Western Australia’s government is consulting on a ban on e-waste in landfill supported by funding for collection infrastructure.
- In the UK, the Environmental Services Association and its member, and Ecosurety ran a campaign in late 2022 urging UK consumers to recycle batteries responsibly. Cornwall Council is asking residents to take charge of their batteries and help prevent fires at Cornwall’s rubbish and recycling facilities.
- Washington state (US) legislature is considering a bill for mandatory battery producer responsibility and collection network for consumer batteries. Initially the scheme will cover rechargeable batteries, weighing no more than 11 pounds (around 5kg) and with a rating of no more than 300 watt-hours; and primary batteries, weighing no more than 4.4 pounds (around 2.kg). Medium batteries will be introduced at a later stage for: rechargeable batteries weighing not more than 25 pounds (around 11kg) and not more than 2,000 watt hours; and for primary batteries, also not weighing more than 25 pounds. This builds on a range of mandatory consumer battery stewardship initiatives across the US.
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5. ANALYSIS OF BATTERY RECYCLING COMPANIES - A GROWING SERVICES SECTOR |
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Individuals and companies are increasingly publishing summary information on the battery recycling sector as it grows in importance.
The image with this article is provided by Augustin Fridel who undertakes his own research and analysis on automotive trends.
LCC Asia Pacific, an Australian investment bank, has started a battery recycling industry market research publication.
ABRI is sharing this information for illustrative purposes only. ABRI does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, completeness or suitability of the information provided by these third party sources. There are also many more companies recycling batteries than covered in these examples.
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6. JOIN ABRI AND BE PART OF THE AUSTRALIAN BATTERY RECYCLING INDUSTRY |
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Join ABRI for a range of benefits and insights into Australia’s rapidly growing battery recycling and reuse industry:
- Workshops – Presentations and policy discussions from leading industry players and research institutions
- Policy and advocacy – working with governments on a national waste tracking system
- News – member bulletins on key regulatory and other events, general bulletins on industry news
- Networking – opportunities to meet with companies across the battery supply chain to create industry wide opportunities
- Collaboration with Australian Battery Industry Association on industry issues e.g. lithium ion battery safety
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