Toxco Inc.,headquartered in Anaheim, Calif., has begun alkaline battery recycling at the company's Trail, B.C., facility. The recycling process was developed using well established technology to reintroduce the recycled materials into the manufacture of downstream metals. Eighty percent of all batteries manufactured are alkaline batteries, with annual production of over 10 billion cells worldwide.
The company focuses on the handling and recycling of lithium waste. It already has a number of large contracts with Federal Government agencies, including the following:
• The 5-year contract by the US Dept. of Energy in 1995 to recycle 55 million pounds of lithium hydroxide monohydrate;
• The US $10.5m contract by the US Navy in 1997 to dispose and recycle a population of high performance 570 pound lithium batteries; and
• The 3 year contract for the U.S. Army in 1999 to recycle approximately 1M -1.6M pounds of lithium sulfur dioxide batteries.
"The implementation of this technology is extremely important to the environment, and is consistent with Toxco's long-term strategy of complete battery management," said Steve Kinsbursky, president of Toxco Waste Management. "Recovery of useable materials from alkaline batteries is the way of the future. Our next step is to educate companies and consumers about the environmental value associated with alkaline battery recycling," he said.
Toxco is in the forefront of battery technology with its recent acquisition of Moltech Corp's patented cadmium recovery facility and equipment for recycling nickel cadmium batteries in Gainesville, Fla.
Ozark Fluorine Specialties, a division of Toxco in Tulsa, Okla., will soon be in full production of lithium salts and electrolytes used in the manufacture of lithium batteries and ultra capacitors.