The electric vehicle industry is rising at a rapid pace and we are thrilled to know that mother nature should be benefitted from that. But the emerging industry to has a lot of e-waste to dispose of, which might hamper the entire idea of sustainable living. Batteries are the most essential materials present in an electric vehicle. With time everything has to change or to evolve. And with this said, batteries are also required to be replaced with new ones.
But in between the whole process, the question of what to do with the old batteries is a matter to profoundly ponder upon. Business Outreach Magazine says that electric vehicles are the future of personal and commercial mobility. But in order to do that, we also need to recycle the old batteries in a proper way, for the vision to be eco-friendly.
What is the recycling of batteries and types of recycling?
The batteries come with a lot of heavy metals and several chemicals that are extremely toxic when they come in contact with soil. If they are disposed of without the ideal method, it heavily contaminates the soil and can also cause water pollution.
Out of all the number of batteries present in the market, most of them are capable of getting recycled. There are even batteries that can be recycled more easily than others. These include batteries that are lead-acid Automotive and also button cells. Almost 90% of the lead-acid ones are recyclable. On the other hand, rechargeable ones like nickel-cadmium, lithium-ion along with nickel-zinc and nickel-metal hydride are also subjected to an easy recycling option.
Unfortunately, the alkaline batteries that are consumed for domestic use are disposable and have no latest cost-neutral method of recycling.
The Battery Recycling Industry
The industry of Recycling batteries has national and international correlations, where many countries export all the batteries that have been disposed of or used up. These are generally lead-acid batteries that are exported and recycled. Although it is difficult to note down the accurate figure of the number of exported batteries.
Reports and surveys also indicate that lead-acid batteries that come from automobiles and two-wheelers are exported informally by separate individuals or informal enterprises. In such cases, keeping records on the exact number is absent and there is no regulatory body supervising the method.
In India, the battery recycling industry is severely unorganized and lacks government supervision. Over the past few years, the increasing purchasing power of the population has resulted in the people buying motorcycles and cars, thereby uplifting the standard of living. But still, the battery Recycling industry is not respected and there are no recycling zones. Due to the rise of national environmental concern, two companies which are the largest manufacturer of lead batteries, namely, Gravita and Amara Raj, collaborated with each other to handle the process of recycling batteries from their facilities.
It is estimated that Gravita can annually recycle about 50,000 tonnes of materials like lead and also aluminum and Amara Raj can do about 8,000 tonnes.
Some of the best EV batteries recycling processes have been done by other companies, the information of which is presented in this article for our beloved readers.
Attero Recycling :
Attero Recycling is one of the pioneers of clean tech and are readily assuring a system that involves zero waste and a safe environment. The company of innovators is NASA recognized and empowers disruptive creation that helps in setting a low-cost, high-value, complete e-waste recycling method.
Attero has an all-rounder management system of e-waste that is powered by the country’s largest network for reverse logistics. Such a system is globally appreciated and admired, which is backed by strong IT solutions.
Being a global facilitator of the recycling of lithium-ion batteries, the company has 20 patents coupled with supreme technology, which helps them to recover 99% of the highest quality of metals and loop them into the economy again.
The clean e-India initiative is a pledge by Attero Recycling in ensuring a sustainable way to recycle batteries. The company was founded by Nitin Gupta and Rohan Gupta, back in 2007, when it was just a concept. The reason for establishing such a company arose from the fact that Rohan was finding it difficult to get hold of an e-recycler for recycling his old laptop.
It is said that Attero Recycling is the only company in the world to get carbon credits for each tonne of electronic waste that was in accordance with the United Nations Framework Convention that was held based on climatic change.
Gravita India Ltd. :
Gravita India Ltd. is one of the companies that has made significant progress in the EV batteries recycling industry. The company being one of the largest producers of lead in India was founded in 1992 in Jaipur. Gravita is a brand that empowers value and diversity. They are successful in producing lead in an eco-friendly process, which further adds to the positive mindset of the organization.
By collaborating with other brands like Amara Raja and HBL Power, Gravita currently sources most of the raw materials in India. Gravita India Ltd. has set up several recycling zones in Jammu, Chittoor, Jaipur, and Gandhidham, with the newest in Mundra, Gujarat.
Gravita has explored in several other domains like Global Trade, Manufacturing, and innovative solution makers in industries like IT, plastic and non-ferrous metals. Rajat Agrawal, the leader of Gravita India Limited is a first-generation founder, who has earned about 24 years of experience in the manufacturing sector.
Ziptrax Cleantech :
Ziptrax Cleantech is a startup from Delhi that is recycling EV batteries and giving it a second life. The company has a reputation as one of the top EV batteries recycling companies in India.
The discarded lithium-ion batteries from Cell phones as well as the used-up consumer batteries are sourced by Ziptrax and repurposed for another life. It is considered that the batteries are still powered by 70% to 80% of life.
Lohum Cleantech :
Lohum Cleantech are expert in EV batteries recycling companies in India. They are considered one of the top companies to provide complete solutions for batteries in India. The startup in Delhi has developed a cohesive structure to extract minerals and use it to make lithium-ion cells along with manufacturing lithium-ion batteries for electric scooters.
Lohum Cleantech also takes the sustainable approach to reusing the batteries that have been discarded by preparing it for a second life.
ACE Green Recycling Inc :
ACE Green Recycling Inc. brings forward a holistic approach in recycling batteries through a method that has no emissions. Lead batteries are much more affordable and used more than lithium-ion batteries in India. Thus recycling lead batteries is a meticulous process that should ensure eco-friendly ways. ACE Green Recycling takes special care in these methods and have created a system that runs machines on electricity.
This way has allowed the company to reduce the high-heat smelting path while producing lead. The plant is set up in Ghaziabad and has been running successfully.
Business Outreach Magazine is always on the side of science, where innovation and eco-friendly coexists for the sustainability of mother nature. We have a long way to go when it comes to the net zero aim of our carbon footprint. But shifting towards electric is a beautiful way to start with.
