Battery Circular Economy News

1. ABRI AND UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY LAW SCHOOL AWARDED NSW GOVT FUNDING TO REVIEW THE NSW LITHIUM BATTERY RECYCLING FRAMEWORK

Championing the safe and sustainable expansion of the NSW lithium battery recycling industry is a key outcome of a joint University of Sydney and Australian Battery Recycling Initiative project being funded by the NSW Government. This project recognises that a successful and commercial battery recycling industry is essential to the clean energy circular economy and national security.

This collaborative project between the research and industry sectors will underpin the development of an Australian applicable safe, sustainable and commercial regulatory framework. It will deliver solutions to current challenges emerging in international markets. 

ABRI Member & lithium battery recycling technology company, Battery Pollution, is contributing substantial in-kind on ground industry investment expertise and research resources to the project. With a related entity, boutique investment banking firm LCC Asia Pacific, investing in grid scale renewable energy projects, Battery Pollution is advancing research and commercial application for large scale recycling – including the process of taking battery energy storage systems from decommissioning through to recycling.

The project is being led by Penny Crossley, Associate Professor Law, Sydney University. 

A project workshop to scope case studies to support the research will be held on Wednesday 30 November (10am to 3pm) in Sydney. If you are interested in attending please email secretariat@batteryrecycling.org.au. The workshop will be face-to-face and further details will be provided in the next few weeks.

2. REMINDER – RSVP TO ABRI FESTIVAL OF IDEAS AND MEMBER NETWORKING EVENT (17 NOVEMBER, MELBOURNE)

Sign up/RSVP, and bring your expertise and industry insights to the ABRI Festival of Ideas in Melbourne on Thursday 17 November (2-5pm). An afternoon of strategic planning is followed by networking drinks.

Festival of Ideas – Agenda

The Institute of Frontier Materials at Deakin University is hosting the event at their Deakin Downtown canvas.

The Festival of Ideas is a great opportunity for:

• Members to get together face-to-face to meet and discuss ABRI’s and the industry’s strategic direction and priorities
• The Executive Committee and the CEO to hear from you about your priorities for ABRI and how ABRI can support your organisation

The roundtable format facilitates member networking, sharing of ideas and identifying priorities to support business and industry development. The discussion is used to inform ABRI’s advocacy priorities and work plan.

There is no online option for this year’s Festival of Ideas. A separate online member forum will be scheduled to provide an opportunity for members to contribute to ABRI’s strategy discussion.

3. PROPOSED CHANGES TO UN TRANSPORT OF DANGEROUS GOODS FRAMEWORK – FOCUS ON LITHIUM BATTERIES

Lithium battery safety is a priority topic in many policy areas. At the upcoming regular half yearly meeting to discuss policy and possible changes to the UN international rules for dangerous goods transport, the following proposals are on the agenda:

• Assignment of a new UN number to lithium battery powered vehicles 
• Definition of recycled plastics for dangerous goods packaging 
• Proposal to increase use of recycled plastics in dangerous goods packaging

Other topics of potential interest on the agenda covering lithium batteries are listed below. However, no papers are yet available. ABRI has asked the National Transport Commission for updates when they become available. Policy proposals of potential interest:

• Review of the Manual of Tests and Criteria
• Development of a hazardous based system of classification of lithium batteries
• Examination of approaches for damaged or defective lithium batteries

Any changes to the international framework must then be implemented into the Australian Dangerous Goods Code in order to take effect in Australia.

4. ELECTRIC VEHICLE – SAFE HANDLING AND FIRE RISK MANAGEMENT RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS

ABRI in conjunction with the Australian Battery Industry Association (ABIA) has organised two presentations on EV fire risk management practices:

Presentation 1 – Monday 24 October, 1-1.45pm – Overview of EV FireSafe

EV FireSafe is Australia’s work leading EV research database & knowledge hub for emergency responders attending electric vehicle battery fires that aims to enhance safety at emergency incidents involving electrified transport. Emma Sutcliffe, Project Director EV FireSafe, will discuss work to date.

The presentation will be 30 minutes followed by 15 minutes Q&A. Register in advance for this meeting.

Presentation 2 – Tuesday 29 November, 9-9.30am – US National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) work on safe handling of hazardous voltage battery storage systems.

Register in advance for this meeting.

Safe Handling of Hazardous Voltage Battery Storage Systems project

NEMA is working on the development of a guide for the US market to:

• Identify safety issues such as arc flash when handling hazardous voltage battery packs
• Categorisation of electrical safety situations that are important to understand before proceeding with energized electrical work associated with automotive hazardous voltage batteries
• Cover direct and indirect hazards, shock and arc boundaries, hazard risk categories, and personal protective equipment; ensuring proper storage/isolation in battery packs; checking the current status of the battery
• Cover best practices for testing the state of health of battery systems and procedures for obtaining a permit to work on HV vehicles

About NEMA

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) represents more than 325 electrical equipment and medical imaging manufacturers that make safe, reliable, and efficient products and systems. The combined industries account for 370,000+ American jobs in more than 6,100 facilities covering every state. The industry produces $124 billion in shipments of electrical equipment and medical imaging technologies per year with $42 billion in exports.

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