Game-changing company creates underwater shredder to solve massive tech issue: 'Will likely become the best practice'

Recycling Product News posted an article announcing a new technology that allows for the safe, efficient, and profitable shredding of large EV batteries. It reported that BCA Industries has developed an underwater shredder to shred the largest EV batteries on the market without disassembly or discharging.

As the number and power of EVs on the road continue to grow, the size and quantity of batteries to power them increases. The goal of recycling these batteries is to safely recover valuable materials, a process that can be dangerous and difficult due to the large size of the batteries that have to be broken down into smaller components. The traditional process of breaking the batteries down can result in damaging the materials or harming the cells, which can lead to fire and thermal runaways, as the news outlet reported.

BCA Industries is hoping to change all that with a groundbreaking recycling process that uses water and nitrogen to manage thermal activity. The environment is watertight and airtight, which essentially smothers the reaction. The fact that the batteries can be completely submerged requires specialized seals and stainless-steel chamber liners, which are not part of typical shredders.

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John Neuens, industrial consultant for LithiBatt, a division of BCA Industries, explained in the article that "this method also speeds battery processing over a dry system, with all of its safety and air quality problems."

This sealed "wet" recycling system is designed to recycle the largest EV batteries — which are nearly 2,000 pounds, according to the article — as well as smaller sizes more effectively, preserving more of the valuable materials in a safer, more efficient way.

Although EV manufacturing and use has reduced negative impact on the environment when compared to gas-powered vehicles, critics of EVs often cite the challenge in recycling batteries as a reason to stick with gas. BCA Industries hopes to help address this issue.

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With greater awareness about the technological advances in EV manufacturing and use, we can hopefully help dispel myths about the industry's impact on the environment, including the myth that EV batteries can't be recycled and end up in landfills.

According to the news article, improved recycling systems for handling large batteries are produced in Germany, the UK, and the U.S. and are already in use by EV manufacturers around the world.

The article predicts that the new multiple-step process used by EV manufacturers and major recyclers will likely become the favored method of EV battery recycling. Industry professionals can safely and efficiently claim valuable materials and reduce environmental impact, so this type of new process "will likely become the best practice."

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