Page 36 from: Recycling International January/February issue 2023

36

South Africa gears up
battery recycling
‘There are no dedicated battery recycling facilities set up in South Africa so we are

losing valuable materials like lithium and cobalt,’ says Lesego Siwela, applications

engineer at Cwenga Technologies. The South African company is one of the first

players trying to fill the country’s gap in recycling potential.

Cwenga Technologies realises chro-
matographic separation of battery
metals via leaching using reusable and
low-cost reagents at room tempera-
ture and at atmospheric pressure. The
‘eco-friendly’ process has long been
used in water purification and is there-
fore ‘commonly in stock’ across South
Africa. The solution was fine-tuned
with support from the University of
the Western Cape.
The recycler supplies ion exchange
resin and activated carbon with input
materials sourced from industry part-
ners Lanxess and Chemviron. The
cobalt is extracted via ligand
exchange while nickel extraction can
be best achieved with chelating res-
ins.
‘Both approaches are highly selective
for specific metals and, by combining
them, we can reclaim all of them,’
Siwela explains. ‘At our in-house lab,
we can analyse the samples and deliv-
er material at lab scale as well as pilot-
scale. Provisional patents have been
filed and we are working on expand-

ing this to full commercial scale.’
Her team is also installing a new
crusher with protective housing so
that no gases, fumes or smoke escape
the process thereby minimising the
risk of fire.

GROWTH DRIVERS
New market data suggests the South
African battery market will be worth
an estimated US$ 965 million (EUR
928 million) this year. Market analysts
expect it to reach US$ 1.7 billion by
2030, representing a compound annu-
al growth rate of 7.7%.
In terms of chemistry, the lead-acid
battery is witnessing the highest
growth due to expanding applications
in uninterrupted power supply (UPS),
transport vehicles, automotive, tele-
communication and electric bikes. The
‘mounting investment’ in electric vehi-
cle markets, owing to the high
demand for vehicles in both devel-
oped and developing nations, is also
likely to result in a higher adoption of
lithium-ion batteries in the next few

years.
Further growth drivers include the
demand for portable electronics such
as tablets, LCDs, smartphones and
wearable devices as well as stricter
emission standards required by devel-
oped countries, coupled with rising
attention to fuel efficiency.

‘TOUGH NICHE’
However, Mintek, South Africa’s
national mineral research organisation,
laments that the nation’s low collec-
tion rates and little infrastructure
makes lithium-ion battery recycling a
very challenging business case. This
sector is seen as viable once recyclers
reach a national processing capacity
of 500 tonnes per year. As yet, the fig-
ure is thought to be below 10 tonnes.
Leveraging existing recycling technol-
ogies is seen as vital to scaling up.
‘Our approach addresses the high
costs that come with battery recy-
cling,’ Siwela says. ‘In many parts of
the world, not just Africa, battery
recycling is so expensive it is hardly
viable. It’s a tough niche to be in.’
Eager to grow the business, Cwenga
has acquired a stockpile of batteries
to work with and these are now being
detoxified and discharged. Siwela
points out that the company has suc-
cessfully used its approach for com-
mercial-scale copper refining during
the past 20 years. ‘We’re now building
on this and expanding it to specifically
cater to the rapidly growing battery
market.’
Another benefit is that the resins can
last up to five years because the
reagents don’t destroy them. ‘This
shows you can create a high-quality
product at a competitively low cost,’
Siwela concludes.

A U T H O R Kirstin Linnenkoper

SANDERSON TO TAKE OVER FROM ELLIN AT RA
The UK’s Recycling Association has appointed former magazine editor Paul
Sanderson as its new chief executive, replacing Simon Ellin who retires in
March.
Ellin was previously ceo of both the RA and its subsidiary Independent Waste
Paper Producers (IWPP) but commercial director Chris Burton now steps up to
become the new md of IWPP. Sanderson will oversee the RA and the United
Kingdom Security Shredding Association.
RA president Craig Curtis says: ‘I’m delighted that Chris and Paul will be taking
on these roles under a new structure. Both have worked closely together over
many years and have a fantastic relationship. I’m very confident that the RAS
and IWPP will continue to go from strength-to-strength under this new leader-
ship.’
Sanderson adds: ‘Simon will be missed for all the hard work, enthusiasm and
skill he has shown as chief executive and I’ll miss him personally. But Chris and I
will work together so that the RA and IWPP build on Simon’s leadership and
everything that has been achieved so far.’

AUTO RECYCLERS CHEERED BY US TARIFF RELIEF
American recyclers
have welcomed an
extension of the pol-
icy that exempts
shredder wear parts
from a 25% tariff on
certain Chinese
products imported
into the US.
At the end of 2022,
the United States
Trade Representative
(USTR) announced a
nine-month extension
for certain exclusions
in the China Section
301 policy, including
the tariff for shredder
wear parts.
In July 2018, the
Trump administration
imposed the tariff
but, after appeals
from the Institute of
Scrap Recycling
Industries, an exemp-
tion was granted in
April 2019. In 2020

the government allowed companies and organisations to request continua-
tion of the exemption for a further year, which was granted.
‘Extending the Section 301 tariff exclusion on auto shredder wear parts will
positively impact more than 200 US auto shredders,’ says ISRI president
Robin Wiener.
‘The exclusion will allow these businesses to continue to provide a renew-
able source of high-quality materials for the everyday items and essential
infrastructure people depend on.’

36-37-38-39_trendsupdatesii.indd 36 03-02-2023 14:00