VINA-CUES ATTEMPTS TO BRING BATTERY REGENERATION TECHNOLOGY TO VIETNAM

Lead-Acid battery is an electricity storing and providing equipment. It is often used in vehicles to start the engine and provide electricity to electrical equipment inside the car. Three main parts of the battery are: (1) Anode, (2) Cathode and (3) Electrolyte. Each of them is made of different materials. The chemical reactions among these materials create energy. When connected with an external circuit, these chemical reactions happen and chemical energy is transformed into electrical energy. These parts are kept in a plastic case and covered by a plastic lid with positive and negative terminals on it.

Image 1: Lead-Acid Battery structure (Source link: https://pdc-tech.vn/cau-tao-ac-quy-axit-chi-agm-vrla/ )

The case is divided into 6 chambers to properly hold the plate straps (anode and cathode). The positive and negative plates are put next to each other, separated by a separator. The negative plates are made of pure lead. Additives might be added to strengthen the plates and make them more corrosion resistant. The positive plates are made of lead oxide (PbO2).

Although lead-acid batteries are made of heavy metal, which would be harmful to the environment if they were improbably disposed, the problem related to old lead-acid batteries treatment is not about disposal. The reason might be because even when lead-acid batteries cannot be used for the purpose of engine starting, they can still be used to store and provide electricity for other electrical equipment. Therefore, they are not easily thrown away. Moreover, lead components inside can be taken out and sold for money. People have been doing this recycling business for many years. Vietnamese Government has also intervened to ensure minimizing the environmental impact of the lead recycling process; however, the recycling method in some craft villages is still dangerous to workers’ health and consumes a large amount of energy from coals to provide heat for lead processing.

Image 2: An example of Lead-Acid Battery Recycling Method in Cao Gia Quý Environmental Company (Source link: https://moitruongcaogiaquy.vn/he-thong-xu-ly-pin-ac-quy-thai/ )

Meanwhile, according to Car and Motorbike Battery Market Report published by ASEAN Security Company, the market size of batteries for vehicles was very potential, as the number of motorbikes and cars was increasing fast. At the end of 2018, the number of cars and motorbikes in Vietnam was around 59 million (56 million motorbikes and 3 million cars). The number was increasing at the rate of 7% per year (6.5% for motorbikes and 12.1% for cars). If the life of a battery is around 2-3 years, Vietnam will need 23.6 million batteries to change a new one for current vehicles (22.3 million motorbikes batteries and 1.3 million car batteries) and 2.75 million batteries supply to OEMs (2.5 million motorbikes batteries and 0.5 million car batteries). This means Vietnam needs around 26 million batteries in 2018. However, this also implies that every year, there are millions of batteries becoming waste. Increasing number of waste batteries creates a high pressure on the recycling business.

In order to tackle this challenge, many countries like Japan, India, etc. tried to extend the life circle of the battery before it is recycled for lead. As a consulting company, Vina-CUES is also carrying researches to bring this battery regeneration technology to Vietnam. The project is currently on the phase of pre-feasibility study.