The authorized lithium recovery plant can process up to 90 tons of battery waste per month. Andrea Alzate, a chemist who graduated from the UofA, started the venture with her own resources and loans from friends.
Cell phone, computer and car batteries are discarded every day, being waste that contains high value minerals, but the industrial processes to extract them are not very friendly to the environment.
Andrea Alzate, a graduate in paisa from the Universidad de Antioquia — and a PhD in materials — has developed a method that allows these batteries to be used without leaving any polluting traces and extracts cobalt, nickel and lithium. Thus, her business has significant growth potential.
It is worth clarifying that lithium is considered one of the energy sources that can partially replace oil. And in developed countries there are clear targets: by 2030, up to 50% of the vehicle fleet must be made up of vehicles free of fossil fuels.
Put more simply, this Antioqueña can provide part of the lithium that car, phone and computer manufacturers need.
Lithium recovery, a company of tomorrow
Altero was the name he gave to his recovery plant, located in Guarne and legally constituted since 2018. The venture was capitalized with its own resources and loans from friends who believed in its idea.
Still, another financial injection was needed. Until, during a trip to the United States, someone found out about Andrea’s proposal and decided to invest in it.
Taking into account that the minerals it recovers are desired by industrialized countries, she managed to open her factory in any country, but decided to return to Colombia and generate wealth with her enterprise, the first in the country with these characteristics.
She explained it”waste from these batteries is difficult to manage as lithium is highly reactive. In the world, what they have discovered to solve this problem are nitrogen treatments to freeze dangerousness.”.
“Our technology —added— does not require nitrogen. We move away from conventional methods, which are pyrometallurgical or hydrometallurgicals”, he added, detailing that, with the first process, there is burning in ovens and carbon emissions are generated. With the second, there is dissolution in acid and toxic discharges are generated.
In his case, the minerals from the batteries are recovered through electromagnetic, mechanical and electrical processes. Its plant has the capacity to process 90 tons per month. Cobalt, nickel and lithium are exported, while copper and aluminum are traded locally.