E-WASTE recycling giant TES is looking to introduce energy storage system (ESS) offerings and scalable turnkey solutions in the secondary market, said the company on Wednesday at the opening of its S$30 million facility to recycle lithium batteries.
It is currently working with strategic partners such as GenPlus to extend the life of and repurpose retired electric vehicle (EV) batteries for various commercial and residential energy needs in the secondary market, said TES.
Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, noted that as Singapore builds up its local recycling capabilities for e-waste, the opening of the TES B plant in Tuas is timely given the increase in used lithium batteries.
Singapore generates about 60,000 tonnes of e-waste a year, which is equivalent to each person discarding about 70 mobile phones per year, she said.
And this will only go up with new technologies in electronic gadgets being introduced, and greater electric and hybrid vehicle adoption.
Ms Fu officiated the facility's opening, together with Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment.
Luke Goh, the National Environment Agency's CEO, noted that the recycling facility is integral to the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme's ecosystem for the management of e-waste.
"Such facilities support Singapore's move toward phasing out internal combustion engine vehicles in favour of cleaner vehicles, such as EVs, for better public health and to mitigate climate change. This will bring us closer to our goal of being a zero-waste nation."
From July this year, NEA will be implementing the EPR scheme, a regulated e-waste management system to ensure the proper collection and handling of e-waste and the extraction of resources.
Under this scheme, producers of regulated electrical and electronic products above the prescribed supply thresholds will have to engage producer responsibility organisations (PROs) for the collection and proper treatment of the e-waste.
Gary Steele, group chief executive officer said at the sidelines of the launch: "With the PRO scheme that's just been awarded in the last few weeks, we anticipate collaborating with the government to ensure that the batteries are all taken care of. We're working with a partner that has been chosen to lead the PRO."
General manager George Wu added that TES B is "probably the only established facility" for lithium battery recycling for the EPR scheme in Singapore. The facility is also able to recycle information and communications technology (ICT) devices. "For the others... we're definitely looking for future opportunities and ways to expand our capacities."
The five regulated product classes comprise solar photovoltaic panels; ICT equipment such as printers, laptops and mobile telephones; large appliances such as refrigerators and personal mobility devices; batteries; and lamps.
TES B is the first of its kind in South-east Asia and has the daily capacity to recycle up to 14,000 tonnes or the equivalent of 280,000 lithium-ion smartphone batteries.
The facility uses a combination of mechanical equipment and hydrometalurgical processes to recover precious metals such as nickel, lithium, and cobalt.
It is partially powered by a energy storage system that is fed by 350KwH rooftop solar panels, making it the most sustainable battery recycling solution of its kind.
According to TES, its proprietary battery recycling technology yields the highest commodity-grade recovery rates in the industry, with over 90 per cent of precious metal volume recovered.
This yields a purity level of almost 99 per cent, meaning that the metals TES recovers from lithium batteries are commercially ready for fresh battery production.
© 2021 Singapore Press Holdings
This article was written by Mindy Tan from The Singapore Business Times and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
