The (b)right future of batteries in WA

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Total Green Recycling is an associate participant of the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre (FBICRC) and has been involved in this collaborative project for the past 18 months.

What is FBICRC?

The Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) was set up to help tackle industry identified gaps in the battery industries value chain, support battery deployment and to develop and optimise the circular economy for battery manufacturing, deployment and recycling.

Why is it important to recycle batteries properly?

Batteries are one of the leading causes of causing fires in waste trucks. They contain heavy metals and poisonous chemicals and lots of valuable metals like copper, nickel, cobalt, etc.

In last 2 years we received over twenty (20) tonnes of batteries with a wide range of different chemistries. From lead acid car batteries to lithium ion laptop batteries and everything in between. Lithium batteries are particularly dangerous because they pose a fire risk.

“We have been collaborating with government and industry on developing the local infrastructure to enable battery recycling to occur here in WA”, says our director Michael Coghill.

The McGowan Government has identified the future battery industry as an important source of economic growth, diversification, and jobs and skills, through investment and technology development. That’s why the Federal Government decided to invest $135 million into an industry-backed research hub right here in WA.

“A CRC based in Perth will provide substantial economic benefits and help create new jobs in the growing battery metals and mining equipment, technology and services sectors,” says Premier McGowan.

The grant will be paid over six years and participants in the CRC will contribute more than $110 million in cash and in-kind.

It’s worth mentioning that the CRC will fund 40 PhD students to undertake an education and training program with activities that will assist in building a workforce to support Australia’s future battery industries.

The Western Australian State Government seeded the bid with a combined $6 million in provisional funding to support the establishment of the Future Battery Industries CRC in Perth, Western Australia.

Total Green influencing the future of batteries

Total Green has been invited as an active participant being the only recycling company in WA.

Exports of lithium, just one of Australia’s energy materials, have risen from $117 million in 2012 to $780 million in 2017, and are expected to rise to $1.1 billion by 2020.

“We are pumped to be working on this project amongst other industry leaders and hope to establish long-term relationships. That’s why we committed to contribute $10,000 cash and $40,000 in-kind of resources.” says our director Michael.

We’re only at the beginning of the FBI CRC 5 years’ project. But this project is aiming at much higher goals such as manufacturing electric vehicles and creating sustainable renewable energy infrastructure here in Australia.

“Since we are delighted to be creating a circular economy for the battery industry, we are hopeful that other materials and products such as plastic and solar panels will receive similar boost from the State government soon.” adds director Michael Coghill. (Read Michael’s article Is Australian Solargeddon coming soon?)

All participants of FBICRC

Led by Curtin University, the Future Battery Industries CRC is supported by Multicom Resources, Galaxy Resources, Protean Energy, Tianqi Lithium, BHP Nickel West, IGO, HEC Group, Syrah Resources, Clean TeQ, Stealth Technologies, Lava Blue, Kibaran Resources, Pilbara Metals Group, BOC Limited Proxa Australia, Yurika, Switch Batteries, Volt Resources, FYI Resources, Lynas Corporation, Magellan Power, Cobalt Blue, Energetics, Envirostream, Mining and Process Solutions, MRI (Australia), Total Green Recycling, RaptorTech, Synergy, EQL, Josh Byrne and Associates, Australian Vanadium, Gemtek Group, MRIWA, DST Group, DNRME, Department of Energy and Mining, GEDC, City of Kwinana, Chemistry Centre of WA, Everledger, Climate KIC, CMEWA, South Metropolitan TAFE, Dassault Systemes, The University of Western Australia, Queensland University of Technology, University of Melbourne, Murdoch University, University of Adelaide, University of Technology Sydney, CSIRO, Live-in Learning, OCI Company, GNS, Korean Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources and CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology.

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