Cropping

Battery waste proves itself as a wheat fertiliser

By Daneka Hill

Feb 18, 2021

A field trial of micronutrients delivered from recycled battery material has turned up good results.

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The trial demonstrated a successful uptake of micronutrients in a field setting — particularly manganese, which was at times superior to commercial treatments.

The trial begun in June and ended in December 2020.

It was conducted by Lithium Australia and its subsidiary Envirostream Australia.

Lithium Australia managing director Adrian Griffin said the field test had demonstrated a usefulness for spent, single-use alkaline batteries.

“Rather than being consigned to landfill, where they are potentially an environmental hazard, these batteries can be recycled to produce material that benefit the environment by improving crop yields,” Mr Griffin said.

Results from the field trial will be made available to fertiliser companies.

Meanwhile, Envirostream will continue to work on advancing the use of recycling battery materials in blended fertiliser products.