RENEWABLE DIESEL PLANT OPTS FOR SULZER PUMPS

A CANADIAN OIL producer is undertaking a project to use local canola (rapeseed) oil to create renewable diesel on an industrial scale. At the heart of the plant will be a number of precision pumps from Sulzer that have been designed to handle challenging process conditions. The expected outcome of the initiative is a reduction in carbon emissions by three million tonnes annually, equivalent to cutting the number of vehicles on the road by 650,000.

The anticipated output of the facility is more than one billion litres of net zero diesel per year that can be used to power vehicles, trains and industrial boilers. The proposed expansion of the existing refinery is expected to be complete by March 2024.

In all, Sulzer will supply 26 pumps. Two MSD (BB3) models will be responsible for the highpressure and high-temperature naphtha feed application, a central part of the catalytic process to break down the canola oil. Two BBT-D recycle pumps, and a number of

OHH and PRE process pumps will be delivered with a Duplex stainless steel construction to ensure extended service in challenging conditions.

EA APPROVAL FOR LITHIUM-ION BATTERY RECYCLING PLANT

Technology Minerals, a UK company focused on creating a sustainable circular economy for battery metals, has announced that its battery recycling business, Recyclus Group, has received final clearance from the Environment Agency (EA) to commence full operations at its lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery recycling plant in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. Recyclus has also been awarded Approved Battery Treatment Operator ABT status by the EA, allowing it to commence recycling operations immediately, with on-site treatment and processing of spent Li-ion batteries.

The EA permit allows Recyclus a daily storage limit of 140 m³ (c.100 tonnes) and to process up to 22,000 tonnes of Li-ion batteries per annum. It is expected that 8,300 tonnes will be processed in the first year, utilising a single shift pattern of labour during the standard working week. The approval from the EA for the Wolverhampton plant is a significant milestone for Recyclus, making it the first industrial-scale plant in the UK with the capability to recycle Li-ion batteries.

Recyclus owns the IP for both the process and the plant, which is designed to process most Li-ion battery types. Recyclus will manufacture all plants, including those designed specifically for OEM clients, here in the UK. Recyclus aims to increase the UK processing capability to c.50,000 tonnes per annum by constructing five more Li-ion recycling plants.

BIS Research's latest study, Black Mass Recycling Market - A Global and Regional Analysis, states the global market for black mass, produced from the recycling process and containing critical battery metals that can be sold back into the battery supply chain, is projected to reach $53 bn by 2031.