By Paul Ploumis
August 09, 2017 05:30:29 AM
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Oakland, California-based Aqua Metals Inc. has announced that its revolutionary AquaRefining lead-acid battery recycling technology has secured first patent. The equipment and processes involved in the electrochemical recycling process secured patent from the Australian Patent Office (APO) a division of IP Australia which is an agency of the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science. Aqua Metals was granted the Australia Patent No AU2014353227, “Devices and Method for Smelterless Recycling of Lead Acid Batteries", which will be accepted only in Australia.
According to Aqua Metals, the Australia Patent is among several international patents that the company expects to receive in the forthcoming months. It plans to file more than 20 patent applications in up to 20 different regions across the world. It must be noted that Aqua Metals had obtained the first patent earlier in June this year from Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), after passing through a series of rigorous examinations.
Stephen Clarke, chairman and CEO of Aqua Metals congratulated the hard work and efforts of company employees in achieving the Australian patent. The recent achievement is a notable milestone in the journey towards commercializing its cutting-edge lead recycling technology. The Australian market is highly prospective and it offers immense growth opportunities, mainly on account of the government’s commitment to promote safe and environment-friendly recycling programs. The company is expected to greatly benefit from the Australian patent, as the country itself is billed as one of the key consumers of lead-acid batteries. As per estimates, around million lead-acid batteries are purchased every year in the country.
The AquaRefining technology had recently won Platts Global Metals Award 2017 under the ‘Breakthrough Solution of the Year’ category. It had also won the San Francisco Business Times’ Technology and Innovation Award 2017, for being one among the dynamic and innovative companies in the Bay Area region.
The company had announced first production of more than 99.99% pure recycled lead ingot using the ‘AquaRefining’ technology in October 2016. The technology employs closed-loop, room temperature electrochemical process which guarantees elimination of toxic waste. The cutting-edge technology is more cost effective and environment-friendly when compared with the traditional smelting process employed by many plants.
