Dear participant to ICBR 2010,

Welcome to the 15th anniversary of these fortunate and important congress series devoted to technical, economical and legislative aspects of battery collection and recycling! The continuously growing success of ICBRs clearly reflects the interest of recyclers, engineers and municipality operators in this field.

Indeed, the battery market has not suffered depression but rather experienced a dramatic expansion in the latest years. Batteries of any type and chemistry are now produced by several billions per year and all them need to be collected and recycled at their exhausted state; accordingly, directives are in force worldwide to regulate this action. However, despite this growing concern, the number of batteries that reach the recycling plants are still a minor fraction of those entering in the market. This poor recycling to production ratio holds for either “conventional” batteries, such as lead-acid, nickel-cadmium and alkaline batteries and, in particular, for the new, “exotic” systems, such as nickel-metal hydride, lithium and lithium ion batteries. The growing environmental concern calls with urgency for an inversion of this tendency: it is now time to open the road for a cleaner world! ICBRs go along this road: the main task of these congress series is in fact to provide a forum where top experts in the area may present and discuss their views to reach this important goal.

This 15th edition will keep the line by presenting topical sessions aimed to explore and valuate the conditions for making battery collection and recycling a real and efficient business. In this fashion, the morning of the first day will be structured with a session on legislation and treating battery directive implementation. In the afternoon the participants will be informed on new challenges and safety issues. This intensive and impressive day will be concluded with a Round Table Discussion focused on lithium batteries collection and recycling.

The morning of the second day will hold a session on collection opportunities, mainly focusing on lithium batteries. Indeed, the production of these “new” rechargeable batteries is booming, reaching levels of billion units per year and their end-of-life fate is still unclear. The afternoon will be devoted to the analysis of past and future recycling technologies.

In addition to this informative and exciting program, ICBR 2010 will keep the high social standard that has made these elegant congress series famous worldwide. This social activity includes an unique Networking Dinner where participants may enjoy sophisticated and excellent food, pleasant entertainment and have a favourable, relaxed site for their business discussion. Finally, three plant tours have been organized in the morning of the third day, Friday, September 17th. I am sure that you will not be disappointed by having decided to be part of this important event and I extend to you all my warmest welcome to ICBR 2010 in Brussels.

Professor Bruno Scrosati
Chairman of the Steering Committee
International Congress for Battery Recycling