As the number of electric vehicles and battery-powered devices increases, the partnership brings together Enva’s nationwide collection infrastructure and extensive relationships with car dealerships, along with Altilium’s expertise in the recycling of old EV batteries and recovery of critical materials, including lithium.

Altilium’s proprietary EcoCathode process converts end-of-life EV batteries and manufacturing scrap into sustainable battery precursors, cathode active materials (CAM) and cathode precursor (pCAM) for direct reuse in new batteries.

Across its 38 sites in Britain & Ireland, Enva deploys latest technologies to recover as many valuable secondary materials as possible from industrial scrap.

Under the agreement, Enva and Altilium will work together to explore initiatives including the safe collection of EV batteries from across the UK for recycling using the EcoCathode process.

Using advanced hydrometallurgical recycling processes, Altilium can recover over 95% of the battery metals, in a format that can be directly reused in the production of new batteries.

The arrangement benefits Altilium by removing the need to set up its own collections, and in supplying relationships with waste producers and automotive OEMs.

The partnership will also provide feed Altilium’s intended Teesside refinery. Coded as ACT 4, Teesside is planned as Britain’s only depot refining lithium ion to battery-ready Cathode Active Materials (CAM), of high enough quality for direct re-use in making new batteries. Teesside will be big enough to recycle batteries from 150,000 EVs every year, producing 30,000 tonnes of CAM, enough to meet 20% of Britain’s expected demand as this decade ends.

Michael Sneath, head of Enva’s batteries division, commented: “Expert handling and storage of this potentially hazardous material is paramount.

“This collaboration will solve an emerging problem for our customers, enhancing the UK’s recycling capabilities and contributing to the circular economy by transforming used batteries into valuable raw materials for new batteries.”

His counterpart at Altilium, Rod Savage responded: “By leveraging Enva’s collection network and our processing expertise, we aim to set a new standard in battery recycling, ensuring maximum recovery of materials and supporting the growth of the EV market in an environmentally responsible way.”

Before the early 2030s, over 100 million EV batteries worldwide are expected to end their working lives.  By recycling Britain’s share within our borders, Altilium & Enva intend that valuable resources remain in the UK supply chain.

Altilium is the UK’s only company in upcycling old EV material to produce high nickel CAM for direct re-use in new powerpacks. Its proprietary EcoCathode process results in a 60% reduction in carbon emissions and 20% lower costs compared to virgin materials.

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The automotive industry’s “sector bias” towards recycling risks overlooking other routes offering easier access to sustainability goals, say the British engineers.

Setting stiffer targets for recycling and waste collection, the new EU battery Directive seeks to embrace the whole battery lifecycle, from creation to disposal.   It mandates carbon footprint labels for batteries serving EV, light transport, and industrial markets, facilitating easier replacement for all. It even introduces digital “passports” for batteries, tracking them through construction, repeat sale and dismantling.

For various battery types it sets minimum levels of component recovery and content recycling, and against specific timeframes.

Autocraft’s experts welcome the initiative. But they say it downplays more environmentally-friendly alternatives such as repair and remanufacturing. Technology in those fields already exists and can be rapidly expanded, the UK firm believes.

Mike Hague-Morgan, Executive Director at Autocraft, commented: “We believe recycling is being prioritised too early in the EV battery lifecycle. Cells, modules, and packs are being sent for premature recycling, which usually involves incineration, before every last kilowatt-hour has been exhausted from them”.

Autocraft’s data highlights the inefficiency of current recycling processes, Hague-Morgan observed.

Endowing old EV power packs with second lives accounts for approximately 53% of the electricity required to produce a new one, 14% of the water and 59% of the associated CO2 emissions.

“Given its true impact, recycling is not the ‘green’ option people perceive it to be,” Hague-Morgan asserted

Eight years after the EU legislation has been enacted, it anticipates compulsory levels of recycled metals in batteries sold across the trading block’s 27 national markets as being 16% for cobalt, 85% for lead, 6% for lithium and 6% for nickel;

Five years later, by the mid 2030s, those required shares rise further, to 26% for cobalt, 85% for lead, 12% for lithium and 15% for nickel.

The Autocraft boss notes that, while the EU draft mandates that capacity of batteries should be  restored to ar least 90% of new, it describes remanufacturing as ‘an extreme case of re-use entailing the disassembly of any battery’s cells and modules.’

Hague-Morgan argues that battery remanufacturing is less of a burden than vehicle builders may believe. Autocraft already repairs and remanufactures thousands of battery packs every year for its OEM engine builders

Replacing a single battery module uses a tiny fraction of the electricity and water (3.2% and 2.8%, respectively) required to produce a virgin pack, while emitting a mere 2.9% of the amount of carbon and can be undertaken at regular intervals throughout the lifecycle.”

Autocraft’s boss said his firm’s remanufacturing supports their OEM clients in resolving warranty-linked problems, through dynamic testing and repair technology easily scaled up to meet market demands.

Awareness levels for remanufacturing remain low among vehicle makers, with misconceptions continuing to slow progress.

Hague-Morgan concluded: “Remanufacturing offers the most sustainable solution to extract all possible value from EV battery packs. Recycling is a valid option, but only once all avenues to repair and extend the life of each battery pack cell or module has been exhausted.

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Britain’s state-backed trade guarantors UK Export Finance stood behind the Salfords, Redhill firm, as it sought to market the world’s first ever technology for distributed recycling of argon.

The inert gas, one of chemistry’s supposed noble fluids, is colourless, odourless, tasteless and non-flammable.  More interestingly argon is a brilliant catalyst, and thus critical to the manufacture of solar cells.

Cell makers use argon gas to purify silicon, the feedstock heated to produce ingots later sliced into cell wafers. Conventional processes use vast amounts of argon, with some producers needing to ship in many tankers of the gas every day for use only once.

GR2L positions its ArgonØ technique as a world’s first. The kit allows cell producers to recycle up to 95% of the argon they use.

Argon capture and re-use are boons too to other advanced manufacturing, such as microelectronics, 3D metals printing and heat-treating clever widgets for planes, satellites and rockets.

GR2L founder Rob Grant learned of a chance to supply his recycling know-how to backers of a vast PV panel factory, slated for construction in Gujarat, western India.

With yearly panel output planned to rise this decade to 2 GW, Mundra Solar Technology is to be located on the Mundra Solar Techno Park, a coastal development between Mumbai and Pakistan. Backers include Gujurat’s tax-exempt Special Economic Zone and port operators Adani.

To secure the order, the Surrey SME faced a financing conundrum. To seal the deal, it had guarantee to assure the buyer that it could deliver, a commitment likely to have meant putting cash on ice, via a surety deposit at its bank, Lloyds. But that would have drained off the development funds GR2L needed to equip a production line to deliver the very same order which it wanted to secure.

A £475,000 guarantee issued under UKEF’s Bond Support Scheme resolved the would-be exporter’s Catch 22. The bond offsets that part of GR2L deposit, allowing it to devote funds towards delivering for the Mundra venture.

Grant commented: “With brand-new argon creating up to a tonne of carbon dioxide for every tonne of produced gas, our cutting-edge recycling technology helps solar panel factories reduce their scope 3 CO₂ emissions.

“Building on our existing export successes, support from Lloyds and UKEF helped us to secure this latest opportunity and develop our established international presence. I look forward to commissioning our machinery by the end of 2023.”

Colin Walls, Lloyd’s regional director for trade & working capital, said: “GR2L is exactly the type of business we want to see thriving.

As a bank, it’s fantastic to see the exporting ambitions of this firm grow with the support which we can offer alongside UKEF’s through our Working Capital facility. Their contract with Mundra Solar Technology Ltd is testament to that.”

Prime minister Rishi Sunak was last weekend in Delhi with G20 heads of government. Brexit can be assumed to have no impact either in easing or obstructing GR2L’s deal.

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New process research funded by the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), Aberdeenshire-based “circular economy” innovators SEM and Edinburgh University’s researchers, has unearthed a route to extracting highly valuable elements from waste alloys.

Rare metals such as niobium, tantalum and rhenium are critical to strengthening steel, adding stability & endurance to high-impact structures including turbine towers.  But such resources are mined outside the UK, often using methods harmful to the environment.

Manufacturers know that, by recovering rare metals at the end of a structure’s lifecycle – including from many of Scotland’s older wind turbines – they could re-use them in making new alloys, and cutting down Britain’s exposure to imports.

Unalloyed delight

No suitable extraction plant currently exists in the UK, sadly, though.  Fabricators, including of turbines, must send end-of-life waste to be processed in Canada, home to the world’s only rejuvenation facilities.

The trick is to begin by treating the elderly compounds with a combination of bio-based chemicals, some derived from whisky distilling, to separate the alloys’ components.

Using chemicals by-produced on the way to making Scotland’s “water of life”, SEM’s pioneering DRAM system acts as a filter to ensure the resultant waste liquids are safe to dispose of.  The DRAM technology was developed to safely extract valuable metals from waste electronics.

SEM’s lead metallurgist Leigh Cassidy said: “These rare metals are essential for the integrity of steel-based components commonly used in wind turbines and other high-temperature engines, but most of the stocks are still mined from the earth.

At the same time, we have ageing infrastructure coming to the end of its life. Substantial amounts of the components could be re-used”.

One DRAM thing after another

Cassidy went on; “We’ve already worked with the University of Edinburgh on methods for safely extracting metals from waste electronics. We saw an opportunity to explore a similar technique for separating the different metals in alloys.

“If used at scale, this type of process could be a big boost for UK manufacturing and unlock a new sustainable, circular supply chain where rare metals are recovered from existing alloys.

“Only small quantities of these rare metals are obtained as a result of the destructive mining processes, but with a process like this adopted at scale, there should be no need to cause additional harm to the planet”, the SEM metallurgist added.

“The project has contributed to the company’s mission of turning waste into value by focusing on resource recovery. We’re excited to continue exploring ways to collaborate with others and further advance solutions that showcase the art of the possible for industries looking to build upon sustainable processes.”

Dr Liz Fletcher, director of business engagement at IBioIC, added: “SEM is a great example of a business taking a bio-based process and applying it to multiple sectors to help companies achieve environmental goals.

“By joining forces with academic experts, SEM has developed potentially game-changing processes for sustainably treating various types of waste. Recycling at an industrial scale will be key to achieving net zero, while also reducing the carbon footprint and environmental damage associated with imported raw materials.”

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Solar installation is booming in Britain. Over 130,000 PV systems were installed on the nation’s homes last year, the busiest for seven years. But the industry increasingly faces questions over modules’ fate, once their three or four decades of viable operation are over.

Reputable manufacturers warranty panels for at least 20 years, guaranteeing their performance within at least 90% of “factory-fresh’ ratings. But, as installed kit approaches the end of useful output, brands have faced criticism for failing to address the salvaging of re-usable copper, silver, aluminium and silicon.

Now planning what’s believed to be one of Britain’s first depots for module recycling , Blackburn-based waste separators CSG Recovery offer an answer.

Greg Smith, technical manager at the firm’s Stanley Street depot, says many panels are approaching the end of their working life.

“Some have a shelf life of around 25 years, so we are starting to see those originally installed around the year 2000 at the end of their cycle,” he said. “Lots will need replacement, particularly from large solar farms.”

With PV installers busier now they’ve ever been, CSG calculates 13,000 PV panels begin generation in the UK every month.

Worldwide, the International Renewable Energy Agency predicts as much as four million tonnes of discarded panels by 2030. By mid-century, the global total could pass 200 million tonnes.

Blackburn’s CSG believes it can recycle around 96% of each module’s content.  Said Smith: “The frame can broken down and reformed into new aluminium, and re-used”.

Long expertise within the CSG group, including handling photographic waste, qualifies the firm to recover valuable silver from a panel’s grid of microconductors. Hardest to recycle is the plastic-based film coating every panel.

Last year, CSG Recovery demonstrated its environmental credentials when its Blackburn facility became a zero waste to landfill site.

CSG employs more than 500 people nationally, supporting a network of waste treatment and recovery centres. For more information, visit www.csg.co.uk

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Fewer end-of-life blades sent to landfill and less carbon embedded in steel for towers are goals for the partnership.

The deal is made, say the pair, in response to what they identify as law-makers’ and developers’ demand for lower embedded emissions. It covers all the pair’s worldwide installations.  Both firms a major presence in British offshore wind, which the government wants reach 50GW in capacity within seven years.

Electricity made from wind comes in at a mere 1% per unit of the carbon content of coal-fired power, they note.  But Vestas and Ørsted say they must go further.

By committing to sustainable procurement in all future offshore projects they share, they say the Danish developer is creating demand for Vestas’ innovative low-carbon and circular solutions.

Ørsted group president and CEO Mads Nipper said: “There’s no playing defence when it comes to climate change. And no progress without partnerships.

“Ørsted is are very proud to partner with Vestas to integrate and scale cutting-edge decarbonisation and circularity solutions to meet future customer demands for net-zero wind farms. Together, we’re leading the industry towards Net Zero.

The Dane called for decision-makers across the globe to also take action and help drive demand for low-carbon and circular solutions within renewable energy.“

His Vestas counterpart Henrik Andersen added;  “The energy transition requires unprecedented scale and pace, and we need strong partnerships between leading companies and industries to succeed.

“We are excited to partner with Ørsted to expedite the deployment of our cutting-edge circular blade recycling technology.

“This partnership is a leap forward for developing circular wind power projects and sends a powerful message that commercial agreements and collaboration are vital in our urgent fight against the climate crisis.“

For all shared new offshore projects, the two companies now pledge to :

• install a minimum of 25 % low-carbon steel towers. Use of scrap steel re-cast with renewable electricity can cut embedded carbon by as much as 70%, Vestas says
• opt for re-purposed second-life blades and scale up technology for recycling blade materials

Over two years partnering in the CETEC project, Vestas were first to break down composite materials in both existing and future epoxy-based blades, using the recovered epoxy resin for new blades.

It is currently working to upscale recycling with partners Olin and Stena Recycling.

Ørsted and Vestas have been leading the renewable energy industry towards a sustainable build-out of wind energy, while increasing scale and reducing costs.

Ørsted and Vestas claim leadership as the first renewable energy developer and manufacturer, respectively, to have validated 1.5 ºC-aligned science-based targets for decarbonisation of their entire value chain. Both companies say they’ve implemented industry-leading programmes, helping suppliers strip carbon from their operations.

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