Approved battery treatment operator status secured by Tipton battery recycler

Technology Minerals has revealed that Recyclus Group, its 49%-owned battery recycling business, has received Approved Battery Treatment Operators and Exporters (ABTO) status from the Environmental Agency for its recycling site in Tipton.

This approval means that Recyclus can immediately commence manual recycling operations at its lead-acid facility.

Technology Minerals, aims to create a sustainable circular economy for battery metals.

Under the ABTO status, Recyclus is now authorised to produce up to 15,000MT per annum of lead and store up to 300MT of inbound stock at any one time on site. 

The new authorisation marks the beginning of phase one of the recycling operations, which will move to a fully automated recycling process in phase two later this year following receipt of the variation of licence.

The Recyclus system recycles the entire battery into separate constituent parts, to ensure recovery of lead, acid, and plastic materials, which are then reused to support a wide range of industries.

For example, the hard lead can be used in grids and terminals, the soft lead for battery paste, and the sulphuric acid into fertilisers for agricultural use.
 
Robin Brundle, Chairman of Technology Minerals, said: “Once fully operational, the Tipton plant positions us to become one of the leading accredited battery recyclers internationally.
 
“The lead-acid battery recycling industry is currently a major polluter, with over 18,000 tonnes of spent batteries incinerated or sent to landfill each year in the UK alone.

“It is vital that companies look to strip back ‘greenwashing’ and promote homegrown waste management solutions if the UK is to achieve its COP26 net zero targets.
 
“Our operations will help to divert waste from landfill, enabling key resources to be kept in use for longer, minimising waste and reducing the environmental impacts of spent batteries”.