While it’s been proven that zero-emission vehicles like battery electrics do bring down pollution levels in urban areas, the question of battery waste management continues to be a prevalent one. On one hand, several components of the lithium-ion battery, such as iron, copper, nickel and cobalt are inherently recyclable and considered safe for landfills. On the other, the process of mining lithium is considered to be very labour intensive and therefore it’s imperative that the battery, once used, is immediately sent for recycling.
It’s not entirely an altruistic, not-for-profit enterprise. Globally, the battery recycling market is projected to grow to $23.2 billion by 2025, currently experiencing an annual growth rate of 6%. Bottomline: for recycling to truly work in the long-term, it has to be profitable. While the Indian EV market is yet to reach a point where a large number of EV batteries collectively reach the end of their lifespan, lithium-ion batteries used in consumer electronics are already creating a sizable battery wasteland.
Then there are lead acid batteries which are far trickier to recycle without causing more pollution. Thankfully, several startups are gearing up to use the opportunity that lies ahead.
Ziptrax Cleantech
Ziptrax is not only a battery recycling company, it is also a repurposing one. The Delhi-based startup essentially takes discarded lithium-ion batteries, mostly from smartphones and other consumer electronics, and repurposes them to be used again, given that most of them still have 70-80% battery life left.
Having developed a methodology for separating usable li-ion cells from damaged ones, Ziptrax then uses the hydrometallurgical reclamation process of recycling (one of the three most used methods of battery recycling) and extracts essential chemicals from the batteries.
