First li-ion recycling plant opens in South Africa

The disposal of batteries from growing volumes of electric cars has become a global problem with limited facilities in place to recycle those units – but there is now an operational facility in Germiston, Gauteng able to handle not only car batteries but lithium-ion batteries from cell phones and other modern devices.

Cwenga Lib has opened the country’s first lithium-ion battery recycling facility – a milestone not just for South Africa, but for the entire Southern Hemisphere.

The Cwenga Lib process is innovative in its scale and resources. Where mega plants in Asia are constructed to cater to the mass markets abroad using harsh chemicals, huge energy requirements and highly hazardous working conditions, the Cwenga Lib process is unique.

It is efficient at room temperature, with reagents that are food safe and can be scaled to serve smaller communities or single manufacturers who want to locally recycle their own production.

“The processing facility we launched is an example of the modular type recycling stations we can deploy around South Africa and beyond,” says Cwenga’s Ed Hardwick. “They are run by 2-4 operators and produce metal oxides of various quality, depending on what the market in that area needs – back into battery production, pigment grades or even agricultural uses.”

Pottery made with glaze containing recovered cobalt from the first batch of recycled cell phone batteries was auctioned off at the event, with all proceeds going to COPESSA

“Battery waste is a wealth that is currently sitting in our landfill sites waiting for the urban mining movement. Cobalt, nickel, lithium and manganese are all imported into our country as finished products and then left to harm our environment with no responsibility given to the manufacture of those goods.

“It is working with those who can manage producer responsibility, vitalise communities and educate collectors that we can get that potential hazard out of our environment and back into our economy.”

Cwenga Technologies is the parent company to Cwenga Lib and Hardwick says: “We are fortunate our sales of purification products into the hydrometallurgy, water and food industries enable us to reinvest some of that capital into self-funded research on activated carbons and ion exchange resins.”

Battery recycling involves separating the materials inside spent batteries so they can be reused. The process typically begins with manual sorting of different battery types, followed by shredding the batteries into small pieces. Specialised techniques, such as magnets or chemical treatments, are then used to extract the various metals.

Some of these recovered materials, including lithium and cobalt, are crucial for making new batteries, while others, like manganese and zinc, may be repurposed for agriculture as fertiliser.

Until now, South Africa’s battery recycling efforts have focused on lead-acid car batteries. For lithium-ion batteries, recycling has been limited, requiring expensive exports to facilities in Europe or China. This led to many batteries ending up in landfills.

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Colin-on-Cars - Unlocking the opportunities for electric vehicle manufacturing in South Africa

Electric vehicles are the future of transportation, with many countries already putting a time limit on the future of fossil fuel driven cars. In South Africa, this is both a challenge and an enormous opportunity.

The import duties on these vehicles are prohibitively high, which means there isn’t much incentive to bring them into the country. However, it also means that manufacturing them locally would be incredibly beneficial, not only in terms of carbon emissions reduction, but also job creation and economic sustainability.

We already have everything we need to unlock this opportunity, it is simply a matter of adjustment, and it could be a sustainable long-term solution for economic progression.

Poised for success

The difference between an electric vehicle and one driven by fossil fuels is the engine, and the battery storage needed. South Africa already has vehicle manufacturing setups in place, as well as manufacturing facilities for battery storage. We also have the capability to mine lithium locally, which is a vital component in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries.

Our climate in South Africa is ideal, and we already have functional ports in place for export as well as plans to expand ports in areas like Gqeberha and Richards Bay. There are also plans in place to extend the special economic tax-free zones for manufacturing, both on the coast and inland.

Image by (Joenomias) Menno de Jong from Pixabay

The rail infrastructure needs to be extended and improved, and the private sector needs to be more involved to enable greater efficiency, improved maintenance, and a more cost-conscious rail transport network. This is critical to facilitating more inland manufacturing of the various components.

Bringing it all together

South Africa has both the capability and the capacity to become a significant player in the electric vehicle manufacturing space, but all the elements need to be brought together, and supply chain and logistics challenges addressed, so that we can unlock this significant opportunity.

This will involve collaboration between government, state-owned entities, and the private sector since everyone will need to work together to offer an effective solution to the global market. 

The labour component

From a labour perspective, there is a great opportunity to build and connect the supply chain and create the entire ecosystem necessary for the manufacture, assembly, and export of electric vehicles. There are also therefore many job opportunities throughout the value chain.

Some of the jobs that will be created are highly specialised and skilled, so we will need to source this expertise globally and then ensure that local training and skills transfer takes place so that our engineers and designers can upskill, and this can filter downstream.

Image by Goran Horvat from Pixabay

Upskilling, cross-skilling and preparing people for the different roles associated with the manufacture of electric vehicles is crucial. Having the right Temporary Employment Services (TES) partner throughout the development and evolution of this up-and-coming sector can be hugely beneficial.

A reputable, experienced TES partner will have the affiliations with training companies and accreditations with the various Sector Education Training Authorities (SETAs), which is vital for obtaining funding for training. In addition, TES providers can leverage this opportunity for individuals who have the skills and have had to seek work elsewhere to be repatriated back to South Africa and provide sustainable employment through a broad base of clients.

Unlocking the opportunity

Even looking at one area of battery manufacture, the opportunity is huge. If we manufacture the batteries here, they will be less costly for locals who wish to purchase electric vehicles. We will also be able to recycle them here, which is currently a significant environmental concern.

However, we need to start with manual skills, and then automate to reduce cost, which will in turn create greater demand, more growth, and a circular economy. There are so many opportunities, from one end of the supply chain to the other but having the right TES partner lies at the very heart of unlocking this opportunity for economic progression.

By Viren Sookhun, MD at Oxyon

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