I seldom report when an automation supplier gets a project “win.” In this case, I’m interested in the battery ecosystem as the owner of a new electric vehicle. Battery recycling is one of the few recycling programs that actually work. I pick up about 40 lbs. of used batteries a week from our community to take to the county recycling center. The large batteries in our EVs will need to be recycled with the crucial elements reclaimed in the near future. This is cool.
Emerson has been selected by Korea’s SungEel HiTech Co., Ltd., a specialist in lithium-ion battery recycling, to provide automation solutions in support of sustainable production and operational efficiency goals at the newest of three lithium-ion recycling plants located at SungEel’s Hydro Center complex in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do.
Through the combination of Emerson’s process automation technology and SungEel HiTech’s unique battery recycling methods, the collaboration aims to establish a robust resource cycle that will help enable a more stable supply of battery materials for electric vehicles in pursuit of bolstering the world’s overall production capacity.
“Our automation portfolio and expertise are empowering our customers to optimize and scale the circular economy for critical battery components, a key step toward meeting global net-zero targets head-on,” said Mike Train, Emerson’s chief sustainability officer.
SungEel HiTech operates a comprehensive battery recycling ecosystem across nine global locations, including a recycling park for collection and pretreatment and a hydrometallurgical battery material production facility at the Gunsan Hydro Center. The upcoming third Hydro Center plant will be triple the size of the first two, contributing to increased production capacity that can supply raw materials for approximately 400,000 electric vehicles each year.
“As the battery recycling market continues to grow, the significance of automation solutions to improve productivity and process efficiency is increasingly apparent,” said ChenFai Chung, vice president and general manager for Emerson in North Asia. “We are proud to work with an innovative leader like SungEel HiTech to contribute to the advancement of battery recycling technology.”
Emerson will supply advanced instrumentation and valve solutions that provide the high levels of performance, accuracy and reliability required for the advanced proprietary hydrometallurgical processes that SungEel HiTech uses. The package will include a variety of flow, level, pressure, and pH sensors and transmitters, as well as robust control valves that are critical to safe and reliable operations.
