42
value chain. This is especially true for
manufacturers, who had little to no
interest in recycling only two decades
ago. ‘It is clear industry stakeholders
now see us as an instrumental end-of-
life solutions partner. One that can
give them the keys to understanding
the true impact of their products, and
their potential in the circular econo-
my,’ Grimaud asserts.
The engineer is grateful that he has
earned the trust of MTB’s manage-
ment and enjoys ‘complete freedom’
to explore new ways to innovate recy-
cling equipment. ‘There is no short-
age of exciting projects at our head-
quarters. It is sometimes difficult to
keep up with them all,’ he adds with
enthusiasm.
‘Besides running the R&D depart-
ment, which consists of 30 people, 10
of which answer directly to me, I’ve
been focussing on new ways to tackle
lithium-ion batteries since 2019,’
Grimaud reports. ‘It’s a topic that
keep resurfacing and I’m very happy
to launch a dedicated recycling pilot
this summer. I’m confident this work
will allow MTB to further accelerate
best practices.’
Although MTB is an expert in mechan-
ical sorting solutions, it is involved in
several R&D projects involving AI.
‘This enables us to anticipate machine
maintenance demands to ensure a
high level of availability of parts, sup-
port and expertise,’ Grimaud reasons.
‘Our connections with manufacturers
also benefit us; it helps us enhance
current systems and pro-actively fix
issues down the line.’
He notes that finding new talented
engineers and R&D partners to collab-
orate with is at the heart of the com-
pany’s business strategy. ‘I am work-
ing on projects that will be industri-
alised within three to five years, so I
already have an idea of what to
expect in the future,’ Grimaud says. ‘I
believe we are on the verge of major
changes in many industries – automo-
tive, renewable energy, etc. – and
recycling is one of the pillars of this
transition. It is exciting to experience
this from the inside.’
A CONTINUED SPARK
‘Lithium-ion batteries are the corner-
stone of the energy transition,’ insists
Jasper Baltus, who heads Dutch ven-
ture EcarAccu. His team specialises in
reviving electric vehicle (EV) batteries,
a booming application that has ‘unfor-
tunately created a huge and unneces-
sary waste stream’. Baltus put this
down to an enormous growth in the
popularity of e-cars, calls for improved
battery waste management and
options for sustainable energy stor-
age.
It seems his venture, launched in 2015
as part of car dealer Autogroep
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