ticular chemistry of the batteries. There are about half a dozen in use and more are being developed. The bits that can’t be recycled are mostly consumed as fuel in the furnaces that are used to melt down the metals, which include cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, manganese and, someday, lithium. According to industry press and statements made on company websites, the Kinsbursky Brothers’ Toxco operation appears to be the recycler most widely used by companies that sell hybrids and EVs in North America. Umicore is the European leader and is expanding in the U.S.
Each operation uses a proprietary system and both now are concerned mainly with recycling nickel- metal hydride batteries. But both companies also are handling small volumes of lithium-ion packs as they work with automakers to develop the best recycling processes.
Both companies get batteries from automakers and professional automotive recyclers. Battery packs typi- cally have a recycling-information sticker on them so automotive recycling facilities can get instructions for directing “end-of-life” batteries to the proper recycling operation. Recyclers however will have to ship the
LIBs as Class 9 hazardous material and employees who package them must have hazardous material training every 3 years. Once the LIBs are at the proper distribution point, the recyclers break down their con- stituent parts to salvage any wiring, electrical compo- nents and plastics that can be separately recycled.
Getting to a Profit
As EV batteries reach their end-of-life, professional automotive recyclers will need to recognize the intrin- sic value of the electric power sources, understand how to safely handle the EV batteries, and be aware of the different revenue streams for each end-of- life option. Armed with this knowledge the professional automotive recycler will be able to incorporate the specific market options for LIBs into their overall busi- ness plans.
Betsy Beckwith is ARA’s Director of Policy and External Affairs & E-CAR Center.
Sources for this article include
Edmonds.com, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium, Kinsbursky Brothers and various articles from industry press, including Waste Management Authority and
Hybridcars.com.
March-April 2015 | Automotive Recycling 49
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76