ReCharge - Recovery and reuse of high value metal resources from portable battery waste

目前生效的英国电池废物法规正在增加需要回收的电池废物的数量。Project ReCharge计划利用这一资源来改善锌、镍、锂和其他金属的供应，这些金属目前将被填埋或作为废物出口。目前，英国没有针对某些类型电池的电池废物处理设施。该项目将建立一种利用这种废物流的低能耗方法。ReCharge将使用已知的工业生物技术工艺来提取和浓缩各种便携式电池中所含的金属。该工艺能够从高金属含量的废物中进行生物提取，它必须在经济上与目前的冶炼技术竞争。该项目旨在通过培养微生物，优化生长和回收产生的金属，从电池废料中经济地回收金属。该技术将通过一家获得许可的英国废物处理公司进行开发。

The UK Battery Waste Regulations now in force is increasing the volume of battery waste required to be recycled. Project ReCharge sets out to utilise this resource to improve the supply of Zinc, Nickel, Lithium and other metals presently going to landfill or being exported as waste. The UK has no battery waste treatment facilities at present for some battery types. This project will establish a low energy method of utilising this waste stream. ReCharge will use known industrial biotechnology processes to extract and concentrate the metals contained within various portable battery types. This process enables biological extraction from high metal content wastes, it has to compete economically with present smelting technologies. The project aims to economically recover metals from battery waste; by cultivating micro-organisms, optimising growth and recovering the metals produced. The technology will be exploited through a licenced UK waste processing company.