Partnership set to ‘revolutionise UK battery recycling’

Mark Olpin

Slicker Recycling, which specialises in the recycling and treatment of waste lubricating oils, has partnered with Technology Minerals to ‘revolutionise UK battery recycling’.

A national initiative will be launched to improve the UK’s capability for battery recycling from dangerous, small-scale manual operations to recycling safely and sustainably on an industrial scale. This is a necessary development in order to achieve the UK’s climate targets says the partnership.

Slicker Recycling, based in Stourport-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, has 13 depots nationwide and makes more than 25,000 collections each year. The agreement with Technology Minerals will see it collect battery waste from around the UK and take it to a Recyclus Group site, where the raw materials will then be put back into the market for re-use and resale following the testing of the batteries.

Recyclus Group, which is 49%-owned by Technology Minerals, is a battery-recycling business with technology that can salvage key materials from spent batteries to produce elements consisting of cobalt, nickel, lithium and manganese.

Recyclus believes the partnership with Slicker Recycling could deliver up to 40% of the lead-acid battery capacity, and up to 90% of its Li-ion capacity once the two plants are commissioned in Q1 2022.

Mark Olpin, managing director of Slicker Recycling, said: “Diversifying into new and innovative markets is a key part of our growth plans and our link-up with Technology Minerals is a vital partnership to kick-start an effective, circular economy solution for the UK’s growing battery market.

“The raw materials extracted from the used batteries collected as part of this partnership will go back into industry as part of a closed loop solution. This is especially welcome at a time when electric car production and ownership is at its highest ever level, with that trend set to continue on a steep curve, therefore needing sustainable solutions to keep it moving and growing.”

Alex Stanbury, chief executive of Technology Minerals, said: “We are delighted to launch this national initiative for battery recycling in the UK and partner with Slicker Recycling, one of the UK’s largest waste collectors. The Partnership will help ramp up our recycling capacity for both lead-acid and Li-ion batteries and builds on our strategy and goal to help tackle the critical upcoming supply shortages of the key minerals being used to drive the global transition to electric vehicles.

“Technology Minerals and Slicker Recycling recognise the market need for an integrated, strategic waste management partnership, and this end-to-end logistical solution furthers both our interests in addressing the UK’s battery waste crisis. It is vital that companies work together to expand homegrown waste management solutions if the UK is to achieve its 2050 net-zero target.”

Slicker Recycling, has also recently announced the takeover of Ohio-based Hydrodec, a firm that collects and hydrotreats used transformer and naphthenic oils from its Canton facility in the North East of the US state.

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