Dear Lead Network,

I have had an enquiry as to whether lead acid battery recycling plants throughout the world (there are 24 of them) which operate on the CX System (see CX pdf at www.engitec.com/OUTLINE.htm) by Engitec Technologies SpA, Italy, are actually "state of the art" or "best available", as claimed in the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) by Kellogg Brown and Root P/L?

The EIS states: [p7-28] "The most important of the heavy metals (excluding lead) anticipated to be emitted from the plant in terms of quantity is Antimony, which is present as 1.5% to 5% of the lead." 

[p7-31] "The battery recycling process aims to be a zero-waste activity, as all slag waste to be used as an additive to concrete products.....The slag [from the smelting operation] is the only potential waste product that may require disposal if not on sold to a concrete contractor."

[p7-34] "The analysis undertaken [on slags from other Engitec plants], demonstrates that the slag produced... may be disposed to the Gregardoo Waste Management Centre [local tip] with Council approval."

The annual slag production (some 700 - 980 tonnes) is estimated to contain around 50 tonnes of lead.

Specifically, the enquirer would like to know whether the community (near a wool-combing factory in a rural town surrounded by grazing and wine-growing areas) should be concerned about the proposal and what issues should they raise in their submission to the consent authority (Wagga City Council).

I wonder whether anyone knows anything about the proponent - Ian Davies of Renewed Metal Technologies (RMT) Asia Pacific of Sydney, whose newly set-up company is not listed in the phone book and who appears less than a dozen times on the web and only in relation to this proposal. Wouldn't you have to have a track record of some kind to set up a AU$17.5million plant?

Any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

The 24 Engitec plants are in Austria, Brazil, Canada (at Tonilli), Cuba, Estonia, France (2 plants), Germany (2), Italy (2), Korea, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, UK, USA (3 plants) and Yugoslavia.

Of the 24 plants, the following two apparently exemplary plants are described at www.engitec.com/HIGHLIGHTS.htm :

METALLUM AG SCRAP BATTERY COMPONENTS RECOVERY PLANT Location: Pratteln - Switzerland since July 1991