Page 162 - CW E-Magazine (2-7-2024)

News from Abroad

BOOSTING SUSTAINABILITY
BASF and WHW Recycling join up for recycling

battery cell waste

BASF, German chemical giant with From the end of the year, cathode graphite can be used as recovered raw
strong positions in battery materials and and anode foil waste from battery cell materials after processing in the anode
recycling, has inked a deal with WHW production will be processed and sepa- separation plant.
Recycling GmbH on the processing of rated into its components in WHW Re-
cathode and anode waste to make bat- cycling’s two new separation plants in “A holistic approach to battery
tery cell production in Europe more Baudenbach, Germany. Most of the re- recycling is an important step towards
sustainable. cyclable materials can be recovered up enabling a true circular economy for the
to a highly pure form due to an inno- battery industry in Europe and conserv-
WHW Recycling, a joint venture vative process patented exclusively by ing scarce resources,” said Ms. Christine
between Walch Holding and Štefan WHW Recycling. Grosse Lembeck, Vice President Busi-
Hanigovský, owner of the Slovakian waste ness Management Battery Recycling at
management company Fecupral, is a Cathode foils consist of a thin BASF Battery Materials.
specialist in the recycling of electrode aluminium foil coated with cathode
foils. Through the processing of cathode active material. The aluminium mate- Mr. Kevin Walch, one of the two
and anode foil waste from battery cell rial used in the cathode foils can be Managing Directors of WHW Recyc-
production for electric vehicles, valuable separated highly efficiently from the ling, added, “Over 15 years ago, we
raw materials can be recovered and cathode active material in the cathode pioneered the treatment of produc-
fed into various value chains. With the separation plant and reused as a metal tion waste from the manufacture of
separation of materials, WHW Recy- fraction. After separation, BASF will lithium-ion batteries with Lars Walch
cling complements BASF’s processes of refine the resulting impure cathode GmbH & Co. KG. We are very motivated
collecting production waste and feeding active material and the resulting battery and honoured that our very sophis-
the recovered raw materials into various grade minerals can be re-used as raw ticated process with an above-average
value chains for further processing, thus materials for cathode active material recycling rate and quality is now being
expanding BASF’s recycling service production. Copper processed in the used on an even larger scale in colla-
offering for its customers. anode foil as a carrier material and boration with BASF.”
INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
‘Global titanium dioxide market to grow at over 5%

CAGR over next 10 years’

The global titanium dioxide market durability properties. These characteris- of large end-use industries, and it is likely
is set to grow from a size of $20.9-bn in tics are further driving its use in the to provide several prospects for titanium
2024 to $35-bn by the end of 2034, at manufacturing of cosmetics, construc- dioxide suppliers, the report said.
a CAGR of over 5%, driven by rapidly tion activities, and textile processing.
rising use of the chemical in cosmetics and Rutile-grade titanium dioxide is estimated China is the largest producer of
textiles. This was revealed in a new ana- to account for 69.3% of the global titanium dioxide in Asia Pacific. Rising
lysis by market research firm, Fact.MR. market share in 2024. construction activity in China is
increasing demand for paints and coat-
Titanium dioxide is a bright white North America, notably the United ings, which is expected to raise titanium
powdered chemical and is widely used States, is a key market for titanium dioxide dioxide consumption. Furthermore,
in paint and coating formulations. producers. The United States is expected the country’s increasing demand for
to account for 71.1% of the North lightweight automobiles is driving up
Rutile-grade titanium dioxide is American market share in 2024. East titanium dioxide demand in automotive
gaining popularity due its stability and Asia is a rising market due to the presence coatings applications.

162 Chemical Weekly July 2, 2024

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