Innovative plant boosts India’s battery recycling
A licensing agreement paves the way for the world’s largest greenhouse gas emission-free lead-acid battery recycling facility in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India.
ACE Green Recycling has signed a US$ 12 million (EUR 10 million) equipment supply and licensing deal spanning 10 years with India’s Pondy Oxides & Chemicals. The green technology will enable Pondy to recycle 40 000 tonnes of lead-acid batteries with an annual value of around US$ 60 million. Pondy is one of India’s leading non-ferrous metals recycling companies and India’s largest secondary lead manufacturer.
Traditional lead-acid battery recycling requires smelting at operating temperatures of more than 1 000oC producing significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. ACE’s technology runs on electricity and operates at room temperature. The process is claimed to produce zero greenhouse gases and minimise solid waste by more than 80%. The only part needing any external heat is during the final melting to make lead ingots and ACE has developed solar-powered electric kettles to avoid using fossil fuels. Operations on the new facility are due to start in the final quarter of this year and within 10 years the 30,000 sqm facility is projected to recycle more than 28 million lead-acid batteries.
‘POCL is constantly investing in R&D and keeping abreast of the latest technologies to be in step with the industry and our customers’ ever-changing needs,’ says POCL md Ashish Bansal. ‘ACE’s breakthrough technology will help us to stay ahead of the competition and at the same time positively contribute to making the global electrification drive climate positive.’
ACE says its fully automated lead-battery recycling technology is more cost-efficient than smelting while mitigating lead exposure to the surrounding communities. Co-founder and ceo Nishchay Chadha adds: ‘We are also close to commercially developing our lithium-ion battery recycling technology and we believe our solutions will be a game-changer in the battery recycling industry and contribute to making global electrification sustainable.’
ACE aims to be an industry leader within five years and is expanding its team from 30 to 50 people, split between three offices in India, the US and Singapore.
