July 29, 2021: A list of many of the key speakers and topics on the Seventh International Secondary Lead Conference — to be held virtually on September 2, 3 — was released on July 26.

The contents for what the organizers call ‘the only global conference dedicated to the truly circular economy of lead acid battery recycling’ can be divided into about three broad topic areas.

Technical papers presented by figures such as STC’s Sabrina Urgese, Antaries Daniel Trinidade and Allied Mineral Products’ Bryan Nelson will look (respectively) at the role of desulfurization using urea; the role of synthetic zeolite in removing lead from secondary lead effluents; and the benefits of monolithic linings in rotary furnaces.

The latest advances in hydrometallurgical processing of lead — a topic much in the news given the drive to decarbonization — will be covered by Solveteq’s Ola Hekselman, Vipin Tyagi from Verdeen Chemicals and Athan Fox from Ever Resource, which is now part of iQ International.

Regional perspectives on battery recycling will be represented by experts such as L Pugazhenthy (Pug), from ILZDA, to discuss what’s happening in India, and CHR’s Huw Roberts on China and Asia. Speakers such as Farid Ahmed from Wood Mackenzie will add a global dimension to this as will Darren Roberts.

Regulatory aspects of the industry will be covered by speakers and panellists from the International Lead Association.

Mark Stevenson, organizer of 7ISLC, told BESB: “We’ve got a full and lively range of speakers for this event — a unique one in the industry — and further speakers and their papers will be announced in due course.”