Our history
Our history
Our company was founded in 1989 to provide a treatment center for batteries collected from the general public in Switzerland; some containing mercury. Since then, we can treat all types of mercury waste and a new activity around the reactivation of spent activated carbon has been developed.
The evolution
BATREC was founded in 1989 by a group of companies and interested stakeholders. Various Cantons quickly joined the project as shareholders or fund donors. The battery recycling facility was created in 1991. Following a need for respectful treatment of mercury in batteries, BATREC built its mercury distillation facility.
Lithium batteries
It is about finding treatment solutions for lithium batteries. So, in 2003, BATREC created a lithium battery recycling process was the subject of a patent application. This process therefore passes from the test phase to normal production start-up.
Activated carbon and absorbents
In 2005, BATREC built a new furnace for the treatment of absorbents from the oil and gas industry (spent catalysts). A second, more efficient and larger kiln was built in 2008. In 2021, we commissioned our third kiln.
SARPI-VEOLIA
In 2013, BATREC officially joined VEOLIA as part of SARP Industries. SARP Industries is specialised within the Veolia Group in the treatment of hazardous waste. SARPI is present in 6 geographical areas and treats more than 46 million tons of hazardous waste per year.