August 26, 2021: Italian engineering company Engitec Technologies will build the first lead-acid battery recycling plant for the Sharaf Group in Dubai, the firms announced on August 15.
Sharaf Group says the fully automated facility will process 21,000 tonnes of ULABs a year, which amounts to 85% of the total number generated in Dubai every year. The number is expected to double within a few years, says Daniele Silla, commercial department manager with Engitec.
The plant will be built on a 250,000ft2 (23,000m2) area in Dubai Industrial City and should begin operating in the first quarter of 2023.
It will help to meet a big demand in the UAE, where there is a well-known lack of official recycling services, says Silla. The recycled materials will go to battery makers in the Gulf area to start with, then further afield in Europe and Asia.
“Sharaf understood there was a big opportunity to enter a new business and decided to move ahead,” he said. “At the moment a few small traders collect used batteries, but most are dealt with by unofficial recyclers, who do the job manually.”
Engitec’s recycling technology is fully scalable, with three main areas: the battery breaker and component separator; the foundry; and the refinery and ingot casting facility.
The plant is designed so that expansions can be added easily.
Sharaf Group is a UAE conglomerate with businesses in sectors ranging from real estate, logistics, hospitality and now battery recycling.
“Implementing modern technologies, the hitherto practice of disposing of ULABs by discharging them into the ground will be replaced by environmentally friendly protocols discharging acid as harmless water, and high-quality lead ingots, which will enable re-entry of the recycled products into the value chain through battery manufacturers,” said Sharaf.
