Page 11 from: Recycling International November/December issue 2024

TRENDS & UPDATES

11recyclinginternational.com | November/December | 2024

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BOOMING BATTERY MARKET WILL
EVOLVE IN THE NEXT DECADE
The global Li-ion market will be worth over US$ 400
billion by 2035, according to new data from
IDTechEx.
The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery industry is witnessing a
big shift in material usage, driven by the growing
demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and stationary bat-
tery storage applications. Despite some short-term
concerns over EV adoption, the long-term outlook for
Li-ion battery demand remains positive.
As the EV industry moves beyond early adopters and
into the mass market, the focus needs to shift toward
affordability. Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) has
emerged as an attractive option for EV batteries due
to its lower cost compared to nickel-manganese-cobalt
(NMC) and nickel-cobalt-aluminium (NCA) chemistries.
The global LFP cathode market share has increased
from 14% in 2019 to 38% in 2023, according to
IDTechEx. Carmakers beyond China, including
Hyundai, Volkswagen, Renault, Stellantis and Ford, are
planning for more LFP.
‘LFP’s share in the global battery market has been
steadily rising, largely driven by China’s re-adoption of
LFP cathodes for EVs,’ says Dr Alex Holland, research
director at IDTechEx. ‘The influence of LFP is now
spreading beyond China, with early adoption in
Europe and the US.’
Holland observes that lithium manganese iron phos-
phate (LMFP) is another option winning ground. It
retains the cost advantages of LFP while improving
energy density through the inclusion of manganese in
the cathode composition.

RAMP-UP CONTINUES FOR INDIA’S BOTTLE-TO-BOTTLE
RECYCLING
India’s PET recycler Ganesha
Ecopet has increased its bottle-
to-bottle recycling capacity with
the addition of two lines. The
expansion triples the company’s
production of bottle-grade recy-
cled PET (rPET) to 42 000 tonnes
per year.
The Starlinger lines, installed at
Ganesha Ecopet’s Warangal facility
in Telangana state, began operations in mid-2024. They complement the two
other Starlinger lines that have been in operation since 2022 and produce recy-
cled PET flakes and pellets for food-grade packaging and textile applications.
The surge in demand for food-safe recycled PET in India is driven by two major
factors. Firstly, the Indian government’s 2022 Plastic Waste Management
(Amendment) Rules introduced extended producer responsibility (EPR), man-
dating that brand owners include at least 30% post-consumer recycled content
in PET bottles by 2025. This requirement will gradually increase to 60% by
2029. The second factor is a shift in consumer preferences pushing brands to
adopt more sustainable packaging solutions.
‘Our goal is not only to recycle plastics but to create premium-quality, sustain-
able solutions for brands,’ says Sharad Sharma, md of Ganesha Ecomet’s moth-
er company Ganesha Ecosphere. ‘Recycling is a powerful way to reduce CO2
emissions and mitigate climate change.’
Ganesha Ecopet also focuses on minimising carbon emissions by recycling 95%
of its water and increasing the use of renewable energy in its operations.
Ganesha Ecosphere has been involved in PET recycling since 1994 and oper-
ates six production sites across India and Nepal, processing 9.4 billion PET bot-
tles annually.

EUROPEAN BATTERY FIRST FOR MERCEDES-BENZ
Mercedes-Benz has opened
Europe’s first mechanical-hydro-
metallurgical recycling plant for
batteries at Kuppenheim in south-
ern Germany. The car giant says
the expected material recovery
rate of the facility will be more
than 96%.
The plant has an annual capacity of
2 500 tonnes. Recycled materials

will feed into the production of more than 50 000 battery modules for new all-
electric models.
The opening ceremony was attended by Chancellor Olaf Scholz who said bat-
teries were an essential component of an electric future for vehicles.
‘To produce batteries in a resource-conserving and sustainable way, recycling is
also key. I congratulate Mercedes-Benz for its courage and foresight shown by
this investment in Kuppenheim. Germany remains a cutting-edge market for
new and innovative technologies.’
Mercedes’ technology partner for the battery recycling factory is Primobius, a
joint venture between German plant and mechanical engineering company
SMS group and Australian process technology developer Neometals.
The scheme is receiving funding from the German Federal Ministry for
Economic Affairs and Climate Action as part of a scientific research project with
three German universities.

ANTWERP FACILITY TO RECYCLE FOUR MILLION TYRES
WITH EU FUNDING

A subsidiary of
US-based Bolder
Industries is set to
recycle over four
million end-of-life
tyres each year at a
planned facility in
Antwerp, Belgium.
The project is sup-
ported by a EUR 32
million grant from
the European
Commission’s EU
Innovation Fund
pilot programme,
with an additional
EU 2 million from
the Flanders region.
Expected to be

operational by 2027, the new facility is designed to cut greenhouse gas
emissions by up to 85% compared to traditional virgin carbon black pro-
duction, the company claims.
Modelled on Bolder’s Missouri plant, the Antwerp location will feature four
reactors and a modern finishing line and will harness wind energy and on-
site heat for its power needs. This aims to address growing demand for
eco-friendly alternatives, producing materials such as BolderBlack and
BolderOil.
BolderBlack is used in more than 3 000 products including tyres, wetsuits,
and automotive parts, and offers ‘a sustainable replacement’ for traditional
carbon black. BolderOil is a component in renewable fuels and various
industrial applications.
The expansion will not only increase the availability of these materials but
also serves as a template for sustainable manufacturing practices in
Europe, the company says.
Construction on the Antwerp facility will begin in 2026, with full-scale pro-
duction anticipated the following year, laying the groundwork for Bolder’s
European growth strategy.

sustainable wear parts for
sustainable recycling

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