Startup, in Italy the one that wants to recycle batteries with orange peels

Then there is the topic of potential environmental impact linked to recycling processes. “The state of the art foresees two possible modalities – says the founder -. The most common is pyrometallurgy: in practice the batteries are burned at 800-1,200 degrees centigrade and what is possible is recovered. I let you imagine the issue of emissions management. The second possibility is that of conventional hydrometallurgy where instead of combustion, acid reagents such as hydrochloric are used. The environmental impact is lower but in any case they are not easy to manage substances“.

AraBat’s solution is hydrometallurgy – already used by leading companies such as Recupyl or Aea Technology – but with a green formulaprecisely citric acid enhanced by citrus, vegetable waste or a mix of both. Moreover, the so-called “pastazzo”, which is the residue of the processing of oranges in the food sector (especially those who produce fruit juices), has a symbolic cost: 1 euro per ton.

How the system works

Nacchiero explains that the process has been worked out over the past two years, even though the startup was only recently created. The contribution of Binetti, materials engineer and Phd with a national and international academic background, was fundamental. Well, the method foresees that the pastazzo is dehumidified in the furnace (“However, the whole process does not exceed 80 degrees“) and subsequently pulverized. Then it is placed in the reactor with organic citric acid and the black massthe black powder. This is nothing more than the fruit of shredding used batteries.

“One would almost want to mix as in a cocktail, but in reality it is at this moment that we implement it green leaching by making selective precipitation. In practice, by adding different chemical components, nickel, manganese or cobalt hydroxide can be obtained. By adding CO₂ you get the lithium carbonate“, underlines Nacchiero.

The business model and scale-up

The result of this chemical process is to obtain bags of single materials of 25 kilos each, as required by various Indonesian companies, for example. The direct sale of precious metals is the simplest business opportunity, but in the logic of a greener electrical transition, the Apulian team has also thought of license its technology imagining that plants and virtuous cycles of collection and recovery could arise in other countries. India has already expressed interest. “In summary, our customers can be battery manufacturers, companies in various production sectors that need critical raw materials and partners ready to replicate our business“, points out the CEO.