SECURING THE UK's VEHICLE BATTERY MATERIAL SUPPLY

In the UK and all over the world governments and industries are building huge 'gigafactories' to make batteries for electric vehicles. The dramatic expansion of this entirely new battery market is causing concern amongst industry specialists, who worry about the looming shortage of key battery raw materials.

Net Zero Scientific Ltd. (NSZ) has discovered and is developing a novel and very green way of producing on a large scale one major battery ingredient, high purity aluminium oxide (HPA), from low-value manufacturing and other wastes. The process creates no emissions and is a unique source of truly 'net zero' HPA, a strategic raw material with no UK source at all. The world market for this material, first mined as bauxite clay far away then refined and processed using energy intensive and polluting methods is forecast to expand from 25,000 tonnes a year to over 250,000 tonnes a year by 2030, while the average price is expected to hover around £38,000/tonne through the decade. The NZS technology promises good profits, creates a secure domestic supply, cuts waste by boosting the circular economy, and makes a serious contribution to the UK's task of achieving net zero .

HPA is already used for making LED lights, flat-screen TV's and synthetic gemstones, but its usefulness in both current lithium and next-generation sodium vehicle batteries is based on trials that show using HPA for coating material for plate-separators in batteries improves almost every aspect of their performance, they can be charged and discharged faster, have less need for battery cooling systems, and have a longer life. So EV's get cheaper and still more efficient and durable.

Net Zero Scientific's proprietary technology can make the UK entirely self-sufficient in zero-carbon HPA, thus giving us a local source of material for battery manufacture, one not dependent on trade deals and long-haul shipping. Thus it will reduce the need for imports, cut costs and emissions and help to reduce both land-fill and the export of 'difficult' waste for dumping in the developing world.