HUB REGIONAL DE INNOVACIÓN CLIMÁTICA
Acciones climáticas innovadoras
Lithium Battery recycling
FORTECH is a Costa Rican company leader in the sustainable transformation of waste into useful resources through high-tech industrial processes. They present themselves as an "urban mine" that seeks to extract critical metals in the waste sector and not through the exploitation of the soil, and as "the bridge between collection for recycling and value transformation", thus articulating a true circular economy. In this line, it is a pioneer in the treatment and recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment, including different types of batteries.
In 2017, as part of its innovation process, FORTECH decided to tackle the challenge of recycling lithium batteries, a long-lasting product whose consumption is increasing exponentially (Costa Rica generates 1,500 tons of lithium batteries per year). At the time, few companies in the world were doing this work, and there were none in all of Latin America.
With the support of partners in Europe and Asia, including the German Development Cooperation Agency, GIZ, FORTECH initiated a research process to develop technology capable of crushing the battery in an inert atmosphere, as well as separating the resulting mixture of materials (aluminum, copper, iron, plastic polymer, electrolyte, black mass). They validated the designs with German universities and built machinery that can recover 98% of the material that makes up the battery. The system has been operating since December 2022, with the capacity to process about 1,000 tons of lithium batteries per year.
In November 2022, the Pilot Plan for a permanent collection system for exhausted lithium batteries was launched as a result of a partnership between FORTECH and GIZ. For three months, the project generated a battery collection ecosystem (e-collective) in which municipalities, waste managers, stores selling and repairing electronic devices or electric transportation and educational institutions operated as collection centers (e-collectors). The pilot project, launched in the Greater Metropolitan Area, aims to develop a permanent collection system nationwide.
- Lithium batteries are found in cell phones, laptops, and other rechargeable electrical devices, as well as in cars, scooters, bicycles, and other increasingly popular means of electric transportation. FORTECH has processed about 150 tons to date.
- Under the Pilot Plan, 105 tons of batteries were collected and there are currently more than 100 collection points operating throughout the country.
- The technology and machinery developed by FORTECH can be replicated, encouraging similar industries in other countries.
- In the pilot project, an alliance was formed between stakeholders of the automotive market, vendors of electric devices, public entities, educational institutions and committed individuals, and this alliance is still in place.
- Reduction of GHG emissions by recycling exhausted batteries instead of disposing of them, avoiding emissions generated by improper handling and the spillage of chemicals and metals in the environment.
- “Urban mining" releases fewer emissions than the traditional mineral extraction process required to make new lithium batteries, avoids the degradation of soils, water and ecosystems, generating high levels of socio-environmental conflict.
- As a company, FORTECH has a positive social impact, generating green jobs and a commitment to compliance with protection standards, this in the face of data indicating that people working in mining are 7 times more likely to develop cancer and respiratory diseases, thus contributing to the reduction of people's vulnerability.
- The circular economy model, which involves produce-consume-recycle, proposes a paradigm shift and encourages the active participation of communities in all stages of the process, increasing environmental responsibility. With the rise of electric mobility, the possibility of going as far as the transformation of discarded batteries ensures that it is truly clean and sustainable.
- Initiatives of this type require time and expertise, so they benefit from partnerships with universities and government agencies.
- The business model must consider all safety measures in the processing stages, have procedures in place to certify what it sells and be certain that there are buyers for its products.
- In order to promote the initiative and ensure that it reached consumers, the financial support of cooperation agencies was essential.
- It is necessary to go beyond the model of temporary collection campaigns and move towards a permanent collection ecosystem, for which alliances with multiple stakeholders must be generated.
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Enfoque temático:
Residuos
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Institución/organización implementadora:
- FORTECH S.A
- Contacto:
- Información relevante:
FORTECH Solution
Towards a circular economy for electric vehicles and their waste
