Ace Green Recycling inks lead, lithium licensing agreements in Armenia

Houston-based Ace Green Recycling Inc. has signed two agreements to license its technology and battery recycling equipment to Mel Metal LLC, a leading Armenian nonferrous scrap recycler. As part of these deals, Ace says it expects to license its proprietary Greenlead recovery technology and sell and license its lithium battery equipment services to Mel Metal in Armenia and Georgia.

Ace says Armenia is a strategic location, sitting at the heart of the southern Caucasus, and the company says it believes it can provide a springboard to deploy its battery recycling solutions into neighboring Georgia, as well as create a gateway to critical European markets. Through this collaboration, Ace says it plans to establish the foundation of environmentally-friendly lead and lithium battery recycling with strong commercial partnerships to support the growth of the region’s lead and lithium battery value chain.

RELATED: Ace Green, Spiro partnership targets battery circularity in Africa

As part of the lead battery recycling aspect of the deal, Ace says it will license its technology for the hydrometallurgical recycling of those batteries over a 15-year period. Mel Metal will purchase lead battery recycling machinery from Ace that will allow it to process up to 6,000 metric tons of lead batteries per year, with the option to acquire more recycling capacity.

Additionally, Ace says it will generate revenue by selling and supplying proprietary chemicals and enabling the use of its Greenlead trademark. Mel Metal’s lead recycling operations using Ace’s technology are expected to start in the third quarter of this year.

Along with the lead agreement, Ace says it will sell and license its lithium battery breaking and shredding equipment and battery discharging system to support Mel Metal’s lithium battery recycling operations, which also are expected to start in the third quarter of this year.

“Ace is an innovative and global technology leader in the battery recycling space, and we look forward to partnering with them to support a more circular battery material ecosystem in the southern Caucasus,” says Armen Hayrapetyan, chairman of Mel Metal parent company Edmet. “Unlike traditional smelting processes, Ace’s hydrometallurgical battery recycling processes emit zero Scope 1 carbon emissions.

“By leveraging Ace’s hydrometallurgical equipment and know-how, Mel Metal is actively supporting a green transition by reducing CO₂ emissions and developing a clean source of valuable materials for reuse in new batteries. Furthermore, Ace’s process also allows for the recovery of plastics and reduces the generation of slag materials into landfills.”

Ace co-founder and CEO Nishchay Chadha says he and his company are proud to partner with Mel Metal, calling that company a first-mover in green recycling in Armenia.

“Without Ace’s technology and equipment in Armenia, scrap battery material would likely be exported or undergo a pollutive pyrometallurgical material recovery process,” Chadha says. “Securing both these lead and lithium agreements supports Ace’s broader strategy to generate revenues in a capital-efficient manner while we deploy our modular and sustainable recycling solutions globally.”