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1. B-CYCLE LAUNCH LEADING THE WAY IN AUSTRALIA'S BATTERY STEWARDSHIP |
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The Battery Stewardship Council has launched B-cycle to lead Australia’s efforts to responsibly manage the recycling of batteries. B-cycle is set to be fully operational with a network of drop-off locations in retail spaces by January 2022.
The Scheme will cover:
▪ Household batteries: everyday AA, AAA, and other sizes, including rechargeables
▪ Easily removable batteries: from products such as cameras and power tools
▪ Button batteries: the ones you find in watches, remotes and car keys
The Scheme doesn’t cover batteries that already have a viable recycling market or those included in other schemes (e.g. lead-acid, laptop, and phone batteries).
The pre-qualification program has commenced to accredit battery stewards to appropriately collect, transport, sort and process end-of-life batteries eligible under the Scheme. The will be completed by the beginning of November to align with Battery Stewardship Council launch requirements and enable the Council to promote accredited members to the members who will be looking for accredited partners.
BSC has appointed Equilibrium Pty Ltd to complete independent audits on BSC’s behalf. In addition to these facility audits, the Prequalification Program also requires data collection and information prior to site visits.
To register your interest email contact@bsc.org.au.
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2. NSW EPA - APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR $7 MILLION IN GRANTS TO RECYCLE SOLAR PANELS AND BATTERIES |
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The NSW EPA has announced a second round of funding under its Circular Solar Grants Program. Funding is also for battery recycling projects and detailed information including program guidelines can be found here.
In summary:
Amounts: $7 million available in grant funding for projects that reuse and manage solar panel and associated battery waste
Eligible bodies: Business, not-for-profit organisations, councils, research institutions, government agencies and organisations.
Contact: Waste and Recycling Infrastructure Unit by phone on (02) 9895 6486 or infrastructure.grants@epa.nsw.gov.au
Status: Open. EOI submissions close at close of business 4 November 2021.
It is forecast that NSW will generate 3,000 – 10,000 tonnes per year of waste solar PV panels and battery storage systems by 2025, rising to 40,000 – 71,000 tonnes per year by 2035. To prepare for this emerging waste stream, the Circular Solar Grant Program supports collaborative ‘whole-of-supply chain’ projects that trial managing end-of-life solar panels and/or battery systems within a circular economy framework.
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3. AUSTRALIA - VANADIUM PROJECTS SHOWCASE INNOVATION AND RAPIDLY EVOLVING BATTERY TECHNOLOGY MARKET |
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Energy Storage News reports on the growing Australian vanadium battery industry.
Vanadium Australia has announced it has progressed to the next stage of the development of its electrolyte manufacturing plant in Western Australia with the appointment of Primero to undertake early contractor involvement (ECI work. The ECI stage will include working with Vanadium Australia to review potential locations for the plant.
Earlier in 2021, Vecco Group in Queensland announced it has reached the final investment decision to construct and operate a vanadium electrolyte manufacturing facility. The company reports that the:
- facility will initially produce 30MWh per annum before scaling up to approximately to 300MWh; and
- vanadium flow batteries last for 25 years, have no capacity degradation and have a low environmental footprint as the electrolyte is nearly 100% recyclable.
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4. US DEPT OF ENERGY DEVELOPING LITHIUM ION BATTERY RECYCLING STANDARDS |
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The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), an organization that represents energy storage manufacturers across the US. Under the memorandum, the two organizations will cooperate on developing recycling standards for lithium-ion batteries based on their design.
Variations in battery designs, materials and chemistries, as well as recycling methods, can all affect recyclability. This makes the process of developing a common set of standards complex. Argonne scientists and NEMA experts will explore these complexities with the aim of identifying standards manufacturers and recyclers can use to assess the amount of extractable and recyclable material in various battery systems.
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5. US CLOSED LOOP LITHIUM ION BATTERY RECYCLER AND MANUFACTURER SECURES US$70 MILLION INVESTMENT |
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Battery Resources, a US based startup company, has announced it has raised US$70 million in funding to expand its commercial scale operations.
The company recycles batteries and turns the recycled components back into battery materials — specifically, nickel-manganese-cobalt cathodes and purified graphite, a material used in anodes.
Battery Resources plans to have 30,000 tons of recycling capacity by the end of 2022 across its three commercial-scale locations, one in the US and two in Europe. Cathode material production is targeted to be added to these sites in 2023.
Consistent with government policy priorities in Europe and the US, the company is focusing on recycling and reuse of critical minerals to underpin energy security.
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6. CONSORTIUM FOR BATTERY INNOVATION - NEXT-GENERATION ADVANCED LEAD BATTERIES |
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The Consortium for Battery Innovation (CBI) has launched a roadmap to ensure continued innovation in advanced lead batteries to provide high-performing batteries to support energy storage needs and underpin delivery of climate goals. The roadmap highlights the potential to increase lead battery performance and sets targets to increase the lifetime and efficiency of batteries in each sector, from mobility to renewable energy storage.
The Consortium projects lead acid battery demand will be around 490,000 MWh by 2030. Lead batteries will continue to be an input to the automotive sector. Sectors such as telecoms, the shift to 5G networks and the need for reliable power for data centres will also be areas of lead acid battery use.
CBI is a pre-competitive research organization funding research into lead batteries for energy storage, motive and automotive applications.
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7. EV BATTERY RECYCLING POLICY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE UK AND EUROPE |
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The UK Government has indicated that consultation is due later this year on its review of battery legislation. This is widely expected to cover discussion on recycling of electric vehicle batteries and will also consider EU batteries regulation proposals for extended producer responsibility.
In the UK, batteries and accumulators (primary and secondary batteries) are regulated to help protect the environment:
- making it compulsory to collect/take back and recycle batteries and accumulators
- preventing batteries and accumulators from being incinerated or dumped in landfill sites
This is part of a broader UK Government work program to deliver the commitment to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.
In this context, it is valuable to reread the 2020 Faraday Institute paper discussing the framework required to achieve coherence in policy and regulatory strategy for recycling EV batteries.
In Europe, the review of regulation governing batteries and extended producer responsibility is generating discussion around who is responsible for batteries at end of life. Eurobat, the Association of European Automotive and Industrial Battery Manufacturers, has recently released a position paper on the need for clarity.
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8. BECOME AN ABRI MEMBER - THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP |
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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
Collaboration with Australian Battery Industry Association on industry issues e.g. lithium ion battery safety
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