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Sat, Dec 21, 2024 | Jumada al-Aakhirah 20, 1446 | DXB
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New JV unveils plan for hi-tech battery recycling, production plants
The recycling plant will come on stream in one year, while the advanced lead-acid battery production plant to produce a 'Made in UAE' brand of batteries will be commissioned in the next two years as part of the joint venture’s vertical integration and expansion
The ground-breaking 0f a 70,000-square foot, first-of-its-kind, fully integrated lead-acid battery (LAB) recycling plant — Dubatt Battery Recycling — was held at Dubai Industrial City. — Supplied photo
A joint venture between Dubai’s Regency Group and Seashore Group announced on Monday plans to launch the first battery recycling facility in the UAE by January 2023, and the region’s first hi-tech battery production plant in two years.
The ground-breaking 0f a 70,000-square foot, first-of-its-kind, fully integrated lead-acid battery (LAB) recycling plant — Dubatt Battery Recycling — was held at Dubai Industrial City. The recycling plant will come on stream in one year, while the advanced lead-acid battery production plant to produce a `Made in UAE’ brand of batteries will be commissioned in the next two years as part of the joint venture’s vertical integration and expansion.
The recycling plant, spread over a land area of 154,000sqft and being developed at an investment of Dh110 million, will contribute to the UAE Circular Economy Policy and Sustainability Goals by transforming used batteries into lead ingots and plastic chips for reuse by battery manufacturers, promoters said.
Dubatt is on track to be fully operational by January 2023, promoters said at a media briefing following the groundbreaking ceremony that was attended by Saud Abu Al Shawareb, managing director, Dubai Industrial City.
“The UAE’s sustainability agenda is catalyzing the rise and expansion of innovative businesses working to reduce our ecological footprint through sustainable solutions. As the region’s leading industrial hub, it is part of our purview to complement these efforts and support our leadership’s vision for a clean future by providing enabling infrastructure and framework that supports the reclamation of hazardous materials like lead and plastic into reusable products,” said Al Shawareb.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dubatt Battery Recycling to our growing roster of cutting-edge recycling plants that will serve as a beacon of green technology and pave the way for a sustainable and healthy future in the region,” Al Shawareb added.
Shamsudheen Binmohideen, chairman of the Regency Group for Corporate Management, said Dubatt is an inspirational investment from the UAE Circular Economy Policy and Sustainability Goals. “Upon completion, we will act as an organized recycler and waste management facility for ULA batteries thereby promoting the reduction of carbon footprint and climate change,” said Binmohideen.
The press conference was also attended by Ali Ibrahim, deputy director-general of Dubai Economy, Eng. Saeed Alawadi, CEO, Dubai Industries and Exports, and Giacomo Civettilo, founder and director for Seri Group of Italy.
Hasique Pandikadavath, director of Dubatt, said the recycling plant will start with a 10 tonne/hour battery breaker, four cubic meter smelter and four refinery kettles. Initial capacity is to recycle up to 25,000 metric tonnes of ULABS (used lead-acid batteries) annually and produce 14,000 tonnes of lead ingots and 1,750 tonnes of plastic chips which will be sold to battery manufacturers, medical, fishing, and other industrial sectors. This accounts for recycling around 35 per cent of the lead-acid battery scrap generated in the UAE.
“We are planning to double our recycling capacity within a year from our commercial production and our plant is constructed with this provision to expand. Our future plan is to set up a lead-acid battery production plant in the next two years as part of our vertical integration and expansion. We intend to produce a `Made in UAE’ brand of batteries soon,” said Binmohideen.
The JV is also looking at a technology partnership with Faam Italy, a division of Seri Group, for manufacturing new advanced lithium-ion batteries to power electric vehicles and other applications.
Pandikadavath said s study found that the UAE produces approximately 6,000 metric tons of batteries per month and globally battery scraps are not processed in an environment-friendly manner. In many parts of the world, scrap batteries are exported after dumping the acid into the soil which is extremely hazardous, polluting the air, water, and soil, he said.
— issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com
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