Interview with Akkuser, Finland
This is the first interview of many, highlighting Nordic cleantech growth companies and most importantly their current market status. First out is Finnish battery recycling company Akkuser. Enjoy!
Surely you must have wondered what happens to the gazillions of batteries (or 200,000 tons in the EU to be more exact, quoting the Finnish Minister of environment) that are increasingly used in the things we play around with. Finnish expansion company Akksuer knows. We talked to CEO Jarmo Pudas about an expanding battery recycling market…
What kind of batteries do you handle and why is the way you do it unique?
Basically everything. We handle laptop and mobile phone batteries (polymer), Li-ion, Ni-Mh. We do it without chemicals, without heat and without water. We have our own factory we have an online sorting system and use dry technology (crushing and gas treatment) to recycle the materials.
How crucial is legislation for driving your markets?
Legislation determines the market for battery recycling and markets are growing now as a result of the EU directive on disposal of spent batteries and accumulators (note, this legislation aims to cut the amount of mercury, cadmium and lead that is dumped into the environment and covers basically all types of batteries and accumulators). Already put in practise in countries such as Sweden and Finland, this directive is being implemented across the EU and we are being contacted by a lot of those countries.
What markets are you currently serving with your soultion?
Our main market is so far the Nordics, we handle as much as 1000 ton of batteries from Sweden and 700 ton from Finland but we see a number of international markets opening up for us.
So not using heat must make the process more energy efficient?
It does, we have recieved awards mainly for our ability to reycle materials at 0.3 kWh/metalkilo.,
What about the Electric Vehicle market is that something that will increase demand further from in battery recycling?
Absolutely, if that market grows as predicted. We already handle Toyota Prius batteries from the EU market and we have a Tekes funded development project to handle the new generation of EV batteries.
What new markets are you looking to expand in?
We are actually getting offers from countries such as UK, Hungary, Rumania and others but need to expand our operations to grow significantly.
Are you seeking funding to do that currently?
We are in that process now…
Good luck with it and we will be sure to follow your developments!
If you want to know more about Akkuser, check out their profile in our database (you need to be a logged in member).
Basically everything. We handle laptop and mobile phone batteries (polymer), Li-ion, Ni-Mh. We do it without chemicals, without heat and without water. We have our own factory we have an online sorting system and use dry technology (crushing and gas treatment) to recycle the materials.
How crucial is legislation for driving your markets?
Legislation determines the market for battery recycling and markets are growing now as a result of the EU directive on disposal of spent batteries and accumulators (note, this legislation aims to cut the amount of mercury, cadmium and lead that is dumped into the environment and covers basically all types of batteries and accumulators). Already put in practise in countries such as Sweden and Finland, this directive is being implemented across the EU and we are being contacted by a lot of those countries.
What markets are you currently serving with your soultion?
Our main market is so far the Nordics, we handle as much as 1000 ton of batteries from Sweden and 700 ton from Finland but we see a number of international markets opening up for us.
So not using heat must make the process more energy efficient?
It does, we have recieved awards mainly for our ability to reycle materials at 0.3 kWh/metalkilo.,
What about the Electric Vehicle market is that something that will increase demand further from in battery recycling?
Absolutely, if that market grows as predicted. We already handle Toyota Prius batteries from the EU market and we have a Tekes funded development project to handle the new generation of EV batteries.
What new markets are you looking to expand in?
We are actually getting offers from countries such as UK, Hungary, Rumania and others but need to expand our operations to grow significantly.
Are you seeking funding to do that currently?
We are in that process now…
Good luck with it and we will be sure to follow your developments!
If you want to know more about Akkuser, check out their profile in our database (you need to be a logged in member).