Northern Nevada Business Weekly reports that Aqua Metals of Alemeda, California, has announced the installation of its first AquaRefining module at the newly built lead recycling facility at the Tahoe-Rena Industrial Center (TRIC) in Nevada.
The module, which is designed for ease of manufacture and transport, uses what the company describes as its water-based, environmentally friendly process to remove nearly 100 percent of the lead from batteries. It is the first of 16 modules that will be installed by the end of the summer.
In a phone interview with the newspaper, AquaMetals chief commercial officer Steve Cotton compared AquaRefining to other processes that revolutionized the manufacture of materials such as glass and steel.
“We think AquaRefining will do the same thing [for lead recycling],” Cotton said.
According to Cotton, the TRIC was chosen to house the company’s first lead recycling plant because of the need for clean lead recycling along the West Coast and its proximity to the company’s California headquarters. The rapid permission process provided by Storey County officials also influenced this decision, he said.
"We are really excited about the relationships we are building with Storey County and the community there,” Cotton told the paper. “It is a business friendly environment that supports the [construction and permission] process, which is refreshing.”