Aqua Metals’ breakthrough technology wins top industry recognition

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Oakland, California-based Aqua Metals Inc. has been named winner of the Platts Global Metals Award 2017 under the ‘Breakthrough Solution of the Year’ category in recognition of its revolutionary AquaRefining technology. This year, the company had emerged as finalist in other two categories- Deal of the Year, and Industry Leadership – Base & Specialty Metals category. In 2016, it had won the Rising Star Award and was also recognized in the Industry Leadership – Base & Specialty Metals category.

The Breakthrough Solution of the Year Award acknowledges an organization’s effort to expand the use or impact of a promising metals production technology or process. The award entries are judged on various criteria including greater efficiency, higher productivity, better quality and lower environmental impact. The award is open to miners, producers, processors, equipment makers, exchanges, clearing houses, recyclers, technology providers, software creators, end-users and others contributing to the metals value chain.

The other finalists in Breakthrough Solution of the Year 2017 Award category included Autilla Ltd, Fracsa Alloys Querétaro, JSW Steel Ltd, Klein Steel Service Inc, Maverick Enterprises Inc, Mtlexs Online Private Ltd, Primetals Technologies Ltd, Russula, Thyssenkrup AG and TimkenSteel Corp, from which Aqua Metals emerged as the winner.

Stephen Clarke, chairman and CEO of Aqua Metals stated that the company is proud to have received the prestigious award from a global organization for second year in a row. The award is in recognition of the talent and hard work of its employees in making significant strides in commercialization of the technology and ramping up production over the past several months. It is exciting to win such a prestigious industry award, Clarke noted.

Recently, Aqua Metals’ AquaRefining technology had won the San Francisco Business Times’ Technology and Innovation Award 2017, for being one among the dynamic and innovative companies in the Bay Area region.

The company’s $29.6 million AquaRefinery battery recycling plant, spread over 125,000 square-feet building at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center (TRIC) in McCarran, had announced first production of more than 99.99% pure recycled lead ingot using the patent-pending ‘AquaRefining’ technology in October 2016. The technology employs closed-loop, room temperature electrochemical process which guarantees elimination of toxic waste. The cutting-edge technology is more cost effective and environment-friendly when compared with the traditional smelting process employed by many plants.

Aqua Metals has announced its plan to rapidly expand production capabilities in the near future. Apart from scaling up the Nevada facility, it also intends to implement the technology in additional facilities. As part of its expansion drive, the company had recently signed a partnership deal with Johnson Controls-the world’s largest manufacturer of automotive batteries. Accordingly, the lead recycling technology will be deployed in Johnson Controls facilities across North America, Europe and China.

Aqua Metals, Inc. engages in the business of recycling lead.