AkkuSer's BAT accumulator and battery recycling technology
Accumulators and batteries traditionally have been recycled in three different ways: recycling plants, smelting plants, and electric-arc furnaces. The three main methods used to recycle accumulators and batteries have been a hydrometallurgy process, a pyrometallurgy process, and heat treatment for accumulators that contain mercury. AkkuSer has developed a process for used dry cells and batteries in which the valuable metals they contain are recovered for use as raw materials and their other materials, like plastic and cardboard, are utilized as energy.
In AkkuSer Oy's recycling process for dry cells (nickel-metal hybrid, nickel-cadmium, lithium) and alkaline batteries, waste is crushed and powdered to form a granular material that is automatically separated in a dry process into iron, aluminum and colored metals, plastic, and glass. The process includes several crushing and powdering phases; the resulting grains are separated in a dry process using screening, magnetic, and specific-weight-based methods. Because no water is used, the operation releases no waste into the sewer. Dust from the process is collected and mixed with the end product. No external raw materials are used in the process, so the amount of material added is negligible. Recycling takes place at a low temperature, so energy consumption is small. No waste is created, so environmental loading is minimal.
AkkuSer received the European Commission's prestigious 2008 Environment Award for having the best new environmental process.