Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/1190748
D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 www.resourceworld.com 25 MINING Envirostream Australia commissions battery recycling plant Lithium Australia NL [LIT-ASX] and its 74%-owned subsidiary Envirostream Australia Pty Ltd. have reported their first production of MMD from the latter's new battery recycling plant in Melbourne, Australia. The first shipment of mixed metal dust (MMD) containing cobalt, nickel, lithium and carbon from the plant is imminent. Sales of scrap steel, copper and aluminium also recovered from the spent lithium-ion batteries processed to obtain MMD will recommence from the plant next month. Envirostream is the only company in Australia with the integrated capacity to collect, sort, shred and separate all the components of spent LIBs, making it a perfect fit with Lithium Australia's critical battery-metal-processing expertise. The Australian-owned enclosed bat- tery processing facility, designed and built by the team at Envirostream, is based on international best practice. Its ISO 14001-accredited modular process- ing technology, involving more than three years of research and development, recov- ers approximately 95% of the materials from a range of spent batteries, among them alkaline and nickel-metal-hydride types as well as lithium-ion batteries. As an onshore mixed-battery recy- cling company, Envirostream offers safe, sustainable and innovative management solutions for what is emerging as one of the biggest challenges facing the domestic waste industry. Envirostream, which has agreements with a number of retailers and manufac- turers regarding the stewardship of spent batteries, is currently rolling out its collec- tion network nationally with safe, reliable battery recycling units that are fully com- pliant with Australian standards. The next step for Environstream is to provide every Australian with reason- able access to drop-off points for spent batteries, in order to avoid them being relegated to kerbside collections and land- fill. Meanwhile, Envirostream said that the first shipment of mixed metal dust to South Korea is imminent. "The processing of spent batteries not only improves the sustainability of the battery industry but also prevents unde- sirable materials going to landfill, which reduces the potential for groundwater contamination. I applaud the Victorian government for banning such material from landfill – hopefully other jurisdic- tions will soon follow suit," said Adrian Griffin, Managing Director. "We're proud to be part of an environmental solution that offers every Australian the opportu- nity to recycle their spent batteries." n