The lead-acid battery recycling industry is a major polluter, spent batteries are incinerated with 18,000tonnes produced each year in the UK. There is the opportunity to use hydrometallurgical processes to reduce the carbon footprint by 85%, cut slag by >90%and recycle the plastics as well as the lead. The lead battery market, globally, will reach US$95bn USD by 2026, and with a continued demand for vehicles this will increase.
Nearly every fourth battery is a rechargeable lithium battery, most are embedded in electric appliances and with a growth in electric vehicles there is an estimated US$6bn opportunity from recoverable materials by 2030 and US$45bn second-life battery applications market. Currently there is no capability in the UK (currently being exported to Europe) providing a unique opportunity to provide a national capability
The lead-acid battery recycling industry is a major polluter, spent batteries are incinerated with 18,000 tonnes produced each year in the UK. There is the opportunity to use hydrometallurgical processes to reduce the carbon footprint by 85%, cut slag by >90%and recycle the plastics as well as the lead. The lead battery market, globally, will reach US$95bn USD by 2026, and with a continued demand for vehicles this will increase.
Nearly every fourth battery is a rechargeable lithium battery, most are embedded in electric appliances and with a growth in electric vehicles there is an estimated US$6bn opportunity from recoverable materials by 2030 and US$45bn second-life battery applications market. Currently there is no capability in the UK (currently being exported to Europe) providing a unique opportunity to provide a national capability.
The focus is on converting the paste using water, converting this directly into 99.99% leady oxide(Pb/PbO). Critically this process has zero SulphurOxide or Nitrous Oxide emissions and cuts slag waste by 90% in comparison to existing incumbents.
This also supports the underling economics of PbO production which is currently $255 USD per tonne, the CAPEX on this is 1/7th of cost of incumbent technology.
