Ecology
Tracegrow's operation is built on global megatrends with the urgent need to resolve environmental challenges. Excessive consumption, population overgrowth, the wasting of natural resources and climate change are all forcing societies to operate more efficiently and with lower emissions. We must find new, more ecological ways of using existing resources and be smarter in utilising technologies to reuse and find sustainable products.
How Safe are Alkaline Batteries as Raw Materials for Fertiliser?
To make alkaline batteries into raw material for fertilizers, as well as for other products, the batteries are crushed into a material usually called black mass or battery mass. This is an ideal raw material to produce zinc and manganese foliar fertilizer but should not be used directly for soil fertilisation. Find out more about how Tracegrow turns black mass into a pure, clean, safe product using a new patented process. Read more here..
10 Billion Alkaline Batteries
Every year more than 10 billion alkaline batteries are manufactured in the world. The annual increase in the number of used batteries is estimated to be 5-6%. EU member states have pledged to recycle approximately 50% of batteries by weight. This means approx. 125,000 tons of recycling per year with the UK's share being approx 36,000 tonnes.
The principle of alkaline batteries is based on the reaction between two trace elements Zinc and Manganese. There are several organisations around the world recycling alkaline batteries but their processes are unable to fully utilise all the elements, such as Manganese, which in most cases ends up in landfills. Currently large amounts of batteries remain in storage or are stored at landfills, even though the EU expressly prohibits the final storage of alkaline batteries in landfills. If placed in landfills, alkaline batteries contaminate the soil and cause eutrophication.
Soil Depletion
Arable land and food crops around the world are suffering from micronutrient deficiency. Land is becoming depleted and therefore produces lower yields. This has a negative impact on food production. Global warming accelerates this trend. As the worlds population grows and urbanisation takes over land from agriculture. In the interests of food security, higher yields from smaller areas of cultivated land is essential.
Agricultural land everywhere needs more trace elements such and Zinc, Manganese and Sulphur which play a crucial role in creating balance growth and healthy food production.
Earth's Natural Resources
Humans are consuming the world's natural resources at an accelerated rate. The growth of global populations and rising living standards in developing countries increase the problem of consumerism. Mining and soil excavation to reach and extract natural resources is happening on a large scale and damaging the environment.
According to recent statistics, 19,800 million tons of Manganese and 12,484 million tons of Zinc were extracted from the soil in 2016.
Clean Technology
Clean technology or "clean tech", refers to products, services, processes and technologies that promote the sustainable use of natural resources and prevent or limit the negative environmental impact of business operations.
Tracegrow's clean technology increases the value added recycling rate of alkaline batteries to over 80%. It enables us to recover the valuable trace elements used in the batteries. Our technology is the most efficient reprocessing method for alkaline batteries in the world.