The completed field trial of micronutrients derived from Envirostream Australia’s recycled battery program has shown encouraging results
The trial demonstrated successful uptake of manganese micronutrients recovered from recycled alkaline batteries that were blended into fertiliser and applied to a wheat crop.
Uptake of manganese from the micronutrients being trialled was shown to be in line with, or superior to, that for comparable, commercially available treatments.
The field trial commenced in June 2020, with harvesting completed in December.
Analysis of the harvested grain showed a statistically significant (p <0.05) trend for manganese uptake over both the control (no fertiliser) and commercially available treatments used for the trial.
The result demonstrates that wheat cultivation can benefit from the manganese present in fertiliser blends containing the manganese recovered from spent alkaline batteries by Lithium Australia subsidiary Envirostream.
Results from field trials will be made available to fertiliser companies. Meanwhile, Envirostream will continue to work on advancing the use of recycled battery materials in blended fertiliser products.
“Field testing has demonstrated the efficacy of micronutrients derived from 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 materials that benefit the environment by improving crop yields,” said Lithium Australia managing director Adrian Griffin.
