As LiB battery use exponentially grows in step with the demand for EVs, Town Mining, headquartered in Shiga prefecture, is ready to provide a holistic approach to their recycling
“Following lithium’s extraction from the batteries, we refine it to lithium carbonate, the material that ultimately becomes battery powder. We have minimal waste and our ratio for recycling is more than 90%.”
Hiroshi Miyawaki, President, TOWN MINING Co., Ltd.
With the shift to a carbon neutral society rapidly taking place, lithium ion batteries have become a hot commodity, but to truly achieve an environmentally sound circular economy, battery recycling solutions must be developed.
Japanese firm Town Mining Corporation is one of the companies driving this recycling forward through its holistic approach.
Founded in 1986, the company has a unique and comprehensive recycling process beginning with collecting scrap before inspecting, sorting, and determining which parts are good for batteries or stainless recycling. Once determined, Town Mining has the capability to recycle lithium in its Toyama factory, something company president Hiroshi Miyawaki says is “needed to work towards carbon neutrality”. The company’s ultimate aim is for its recycled lithium to then be used again in batteries, creating a more circular economy in the electric vehicle (EV)
industry.
The process for recycling the lithium into lithium carbonate battery powder involves minimal waste and Town Mining achieves a recycling ratio of over 90% of a battery’s components. This process allows EVs to become even more environmentally friendly, as Mr. Miyawaki explains: “With EVs, the batteries can be recycled and reused. The frames can be recycled and reused. The rubber part can be incinerated, so there are no toxic emissions.”
Town Mining’s innovative recycling has allowed it to expand its operation into Korea and China, and the company is always looking to work with new partners with an eye on a more sustainable, cleaner future.
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