Battery Lithium Recycling may be here one day?

[flecc]

This announcement gives hope that we may have recycling of the lithium content of batteries one day. As you'll read, current recycling doesn't recover the lithium.

It seems 50% is as much as is being hoped for and it's clearly a long way off yet for UK e-bikers:

Lithium Recycling Project

 

[Biker44]

This announcement gives hope that we may have recycling of the lithium content of batteries one day. Lithium Recycling Project

Strange it's taken so long ... this whole re-cycling business is peculiar and apparently only the Germans can do it.

I've been to the open day at one of these plants and learned nothing whatsoever!

 

[flecc]

this whole re-cycling business is peculiar and apparently only the Germans can do it.

It certainly does seem that way at times.

 

[Biker44]

It certainly does seem that way at times.

The open day at the re-cycling plant (near Waterbeach, Cambs, well worth while if you have a chance) was quite odd, the presenters seemed helpful and trustworthy but not very knowledgable. There was no access by us to the actual sorting machines or anything, just two windows, one of which overlooked a conveyor belt on which you couldn't see the product and the other overlooking the giant composting shed where you couldn't see any detail.

I wasn't trying to grill them or anything, but they mentioned the problems of disposing of video tape (of which there were lengths in various places on the site) but their voices seemed to fade away whenever it came to solutions.

We were taken round the site on a coach, they pointed out where the green bins went, where old pallets went etc etc and invited to guess how long it would take to fill the particular hole they were working on. We discovered it was lined with chopped tires.

 

[flecc]

I saw a program on recycling facilities at a specialist company some while ago which could explain that reticence. In that instance all the various materials were being carefully separated and stored separately, but due to lack of demand for the materials, eventually many of those stocks were sent to landfill where they were tipped back together again!

It really was a depressing exercise in futile effort.

 

[Biker44]

I saw a program on recycling facilities at a specialist company some while ago which could explain that reticence. In that instance all the various materials were being carefully separated and stored separately, but due to lack of demand for the materials, eventually many of those stocks were sent to landfill where they were tipped back together again!

It really was a depressing exercise in futile effort.

I don't think that's a problem with domestic refuse!

Other than I suspect they burn most of the plastic and wood that they recover and there's a lot of NIMBYism about concerning incinerators.

 

[flecc]

That wasn't domestic refuse at that plant though, it was mixed recycling stuff from local authorities who collect that way.

Nimbyism about incinerators annoys me, fortunately it now looks as though we are to get a power generating incinerator in my area now, despite huge opposition. Personally I'm in favour of forgetting recycling apart from glass, metals and known toxic items, burning all the rest for local power all over the country. That would reduce the need for as many new power stations and reduce the huge power losses (near 7%) due to the national grid long distance distribution.

Local generation is 12% more efficient in terms of power losses compared to the main transmission of current from North to South on the national grid.