Our Approach

Zero-to-landfill

The Lead-Acid Battery Recycling
Process

• The basic lead-acid battery recycling process is already well established, but the close chemical/water/heat control, and novel use of density separation, ensures the wet end process is different from all existing systems.
• The way in which Halo ensures that its process is novel is dependent on the density of separation at each stage, the chemical/heat usage combination, and the cyclic control of the complete hydrometallurgical process to reduce water and power usage to a minimum.

Zero-to-landfill

Our Focus

• The focus for Halo is to grow from 16,000 to 80,000 t/year of lead-acid batteries, targeting the European market.
• The primary recoverable materials are lead in both soft and hard format, which make up about 73% of the battery. Hard lead is used in grids and terminals, and the soft lead is used for battery paste, which typically demands a higher rate through metal exchanges. Sulphuric acid (the electrolyte in lead-acid batteries) can be re-used for fertilisers (50% of re-use markets), new electrolytes, or produced as gypsum for fibre board construction.

Zero-to-landfill

Our Ambition

• The focus is on converting the paste using water, into 99.99% leady oxide (Pb/PbO). Critically this process has zero sulphur oxide or nitrous oxide emissions, and cuts slag waste by >90% in comparison to existing incumbents.
• This also supports the underlying economics of PbO production, which is currently $255 USD per tonne. The capex on this is 1/7th the cost of incumbent technology.

• Our ambition is to commission one lead-acid plant every year, reaching a total of 5 UK lead-acid plants.