Australia is one of the hottest markets for energy storage globally and one of the biggest producers of battery metals as well. Yet, it is dragging behind much of the world when it comes to recycling. The worst part is, disposal of lithium-ion batteries into landfill is not only wasteful but also potentially dangerous.
Meanwhile, the country recycles only 2-6% of batteries that reach the end of their life, and battery waste is predicted to grow by at least 300% each year by 2036, according to research conducted by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
But now a new industry partnership between Australian battery recycler Envirostream (a unit of Lithium Australia NL) and Korean battery maker LG Chem (firm SungEel HiTech) holds a promise to improve the state of affairs. Envirostream has agreed to supply SungEel HiTech with metals to make recycled batteries. It will be a mix of energy metals; nickel, cobalt, and lithium – also known as mixed metal dust (MMD) – extracted from recycled lithium-ion batteries.
Jamie Allen, General Manager from LG Chem Australia, said in a statement:
This valuable partnership aims to develop safe and innovative management solutions to increase Australia’s low recovery rates concerning batteries, which is an increasing threat to the Australian environment. We’re extremely proud to be able to carve a new path towards preserving our precious planet through this invaluable partnership with Envirostream. Starting with Australia, we hope this provides the opportunity to expand sustainable options for lithium-ion battery disposal.
Quest To Ensure Sustainability
Envirostream is the only Australian company with the integrated capacity to collect, sort out, shred up, and separate all the components of old Lithium-ion batteries. This is why it’s a perfect fit with Lithium Australia’s critical battery metal extraction expertise.
Lithium Australia is on a mission to ensure an ethical and sustainable supply of energy metals to the global battery industry. It also aims to enhance energy security in the process by enacting a circular battery economy. Together with Envirostream, this goal is possible.
Lithium Australia managing director Adrian Griffin said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange:
Lithium Australia views the acquisition of a controlling interest in Envirostream as not only taking a key position in the recycling of battery metals but also providing an environmental solution for all Australians that use batteries.
Evirostream just completed the construction of the country’s biggest lithium-ion battery recycling plant and is now focusing on the roll-out of its nation-wide collection network. The partnership is on track to develop an environmentally responsible solution to the mounting problem of spent batteries. By stopping spent batteries from ending up in landfills and exporting the energy metals, instead, they are sparing the environment from damage while making use of valuable resources at the same time.
Furthermore, the environmental footprint of the mining and processing aspect inherent in battery production is minimized by closing the loop on the production of battery materials. The system improves sustainability by preventing the components of spent batteries from being wasted. It also prevents the elements from eventually leaking into groundwater and flowing into the ocean.
