Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on July 12, 2021 - July 18, 2021

It is not hard to realise just how much of modern life is powered by batteries. Lead acid batteries, in particular, are used in motorised vehicles, back-up power supplies and renewable energy storage. 

In fact, lead acid batteries are the most commonly used rechargeable batteries in the automotive and industrial sector, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). They are cheaper than lithium-ion batteries, which power electric vehicles (EVs) and electronics such as smartphones and laptops, and nickel cadmium batteries, which are typically used in electronics. 

The problem is that lead acid batteries, if improperly recycled, can result in leakage of lead or sulfuric acid, both of which are extremely dangerous to human health. Another problem is that these batteries are often disposed of when, in fact, they could still be used. 

This is where Renewcell (M) Sdn Bhd found its niche — regenerating lead acid batteries to extend their lifespan. 

“Human beings are born with great health. But if we don’t consume good food, we get fat and our health capacity reduces. If we lose body fat, we regain our state of health. The same goes for batteries. Upon usage, sulfation forms on the plate and gets bigger. This increases the resistance of the batteries,” says Renewcell business development manager Mohd Hazny Aziz.

“But we have a machine that can send high current at a low frequency into the battery that will break the sulfation on the plate until it becomes almost new. This will revive and regenerate the battery.”

Typically, the lifespan of a lead acid battery ranges from three to five years. Reconditioning a battery increases the original lifespan of batteries by at least 50%, says Mohd Hazny. Doing this reduces the amount of lead being mined to make batteries and keeps the materials in use to their maximum capacity. This outcome is aligned with the principles of the circular economy. 

However, with lithium-ion batteries gaining ground, will lead acid batteries stay relevant? Mohd Hazny believes they will. Lead acid batteries are still cheaper and the recovery rate is higher than that of lithium-ion batteries.

“Lead acid batteries are more robust and reliable in most environments, whether hot or cold, whereas lithium-ion batteries are sensitive to high temperatures and could lead to explosions,” he points out.

An uphill battle

It hasn’t been easy for Renewcell to find its market in Malaysia. Lead acid batteries are often taken by scrap recyclers, who may not carry out the process of recycling or disposal properly or legally, Mohd Hazny observes. Technically, lead acid batteries are considered hazardous waste and must be recycled by licensed recovery facilities.

“We have a lot of experience dealing with this. There was a golf club that had a lot of used batteries, so we did a proof-of-concept (POC) project. We did a trial for at least four buggies. But when we went back the second time, all the batteries had already been scrapped,” he says. It is unknown if it was done legally or illegally.

In the four years since Renewcell was set up, it has had to educate the industry and gain the confidence of potential customers through POC projects. A lot of these projects were done in golf courses, where lead acid batteries are used to power buggies, and warehouses that use forklifts.

“We also did a POC for Prasarana Malaysia for its Kelana Jaya LRT line. We reconditioned the batteries and installed them in one of the trains. The company tested them in 2019 and they are still working until today,” says Mohd Hazny.

Nowadays, most of Renewcell’s customers are golf courses and factories or warehouses that use equipment such as forklifts. The company also services uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems and data centres.

A UPS is a battery backup that temporarily powers systems whenever the regular power source is down. Telecommunications towers, for instance, have a UPS to support their operations if electricity from the grid is not available. Before external power from a generator kicks in, the UPS has to support the system.

“We also cater for hybrid solar systems, especially those in rural areas with no power line. They use solar energy to power up the battery, so they can use the electricity at night. We also do it for train systems and even the army,” says Mohd Hazny.

Innovating for the future

Late last year, Renewcell launched a battery monitoring system that utilises Internet of Things (IoT) sensors. Customers can now monitor their battery health using their smartphones and are able to predict the lifespan of the battery.

“If you have proper monitoring of batteries, you can have preventive maintenance rather than only changing them when they are dead,” says Mohd Hazny. 

So far, a golf course in Putrajaya has taken up this product, he adds. Awareness is still low, though. “If you go to South Korea or Japan, at least 90% of their UPS in telecommunications or data centres are equipped with battery monitoring systems. In Malaysia, fewer than 20% have this,” he estimates.

While Mohd Hazny does not see an end to the dominance of lead acid batteries just yet, he does acknowledge that a wave of lithium-ion batteries is forthcoming due to the proliferation of EVs. But it will take another decade or so before EVs become common in Malaysia, he says.

This is something Renewcell will consider working on in the future. EV batteries come in a pack that comprises modules and cells. The company will need a process to monitor the capacity of the cells and to replace them when needed.

“Lithium-ion batteries require an entirely different process to recondition. It is quite tedious, but we’ll consider this our next mission,” says Mohd Hazny.

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