Technology Minerals Ltd (TM) said a key component of a battery recycling plant will arrive later this month and will be operational in the first quarter of next year.
The battery breaker is a chemical processor used to separate the lead elements, battery acids and plastics for re-use and industrialises what is a labour-intensive task.
Currently en route from Brazil, the breaker will be set up at a plant owned by TM’s subsidiary, Recyclus, in the Midlands and is expected to revolutionise the way lead-acid batteries are treated once they reach the end of life.
Recyclus’ target is to ship zero waste to either landfill or to the incinerator.
“Spent lead-acid batteries are incinerated, and 18,000 tonnes are produced each year in the UK,” said Alex Stanbury, TM’s chief executive.
“We have the opportunity to use hydrometallurgical processes to reduce the carbon footprint of lead-acid batteries by 85%, cut slag by over 90%, and recycle the plastics as well as the lead within these batteries to help meet increased demand.”
Globally, the lead battery market is predicted to reach US$95bn by 2026, with the figure set to continue to grow along with the demand for vehicles.
Recyclus, in which TM holds a significant stake, is at the forefront of battery recycling and is developing the capacity to process lithium-ion power sets along with lead-acid units.
TM, meanwhile, describes itself as developing the UK’s first sustainable circular economy for batteries metals.
As such it has a number of mining projects at the exploration stage that will be developed to meet the burgeoning demand for lithium, cobalt and nickel.