In late October 2023 Singapore E-Wate and Battery Recycling Company KGS officially launched its new battery recycling plant, the company’s first recycling plant and the third of its kind in Singapore, with the first 2 previously opened by battery recycling firms TES Singapore and Se-cure Waste Management. The new plant, with an area of 20,000 square feet, is expected to boost battery recycling capacity by around 2,600 tons per year, a 30% increase to the existing capacity of 8,600 tons, and would support Singapore’s goal of reducing its landfill waste by 30% by 2030. Currently, the plant is receiving batteries primarily from information and communications technology (ICT) equipment, although batteries from hybrid vehicles and e-scooters are expected to be included soon.
At KGS’ plant, batteries are first submerged in containers of saltwater to discharge whatever power they still hold. They are then fed into shredders which break them into tiny bits, which are then sorted into three main groups – plastics; metals, such as copper and aluminum; and black mass, a powdery substance which has to be chemically broken down further to extract reusable materials such as graphite, cobalt hydroxide and lithium carbonate. While KGS currently does not have the capability to undertake the latter portion of the recycling process, the company has stated that it plans to add this capability in the second half of 2024. The company also plans to extract battery cells that are still in relatively good health to be used in energy storage systems, extending the usefulness of EV batteries.
(Source: Straits Times)
