Zero-emission cars such as electric vehicles (EVs) support campaigns to reduce global warming, but their production emits carbon dioxide.
Automakers use solvents, chemical used to dissolve other substances, for EV manufacturing, which the Thai government is promoting to help meet its climate pledges.
"Our business is solvent recycling," said Siamnat Panassorn, chief executive of Sun-up Recycling Co.
The company's work allows the reuse of various types of solvents to help automotive plants and other manufacturers reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
He said solvent recycling aligns well with EV manufacturing. If Thailand can recycle used solvents from car assembly plants, it can develop the EV industry in a more sustainable way, said Mr Siamnat.
Commercial solvent recycling is growing in Thailand and Southeast Asia as the region is a production base with many factories that require solvents for their manufacturing processes, he said.
Mr Siamnat says solvent recycling should become essential as the Thai EV and EV battery markets grow, as solvents are required components.
SOLVENTS IN CARS
On the road battery EVs emit no carbon dioxide, but in factories they are indirectly involved in carbon dioxide emissions.
"Solvents are like cleansers for equipment and materials used in the vehicle, electronics and packaging industries," said Mr Siamnat.
"Factories need solvents because of their ability to dissolve and quickly evaporate. They don't want damp auto parts and electronic components after cleaning."
Car manufacturers, both for EVs and internal combustion engine-powered vehicles, use solvents to thoroughly clean car bodies before painting. They need to remove oils, grease, dirt and other contaminants that can prevent paint adhesion.
Solvents are also used to dissolve resins and pigments in car paints.
In EV battery assembly plants, solvents are a crucial part of lithium-ion batteries, he said.
A lithium-ion battery comprises lithium salt and solvent. Lithium salt, a chemical compound made up of lithium and other elements, is a source of lithium-ion particles that are important for the battery to work properly. To achieve this function, lithium salt must be dissolved to become a solution that enables lithium ions to flow freely.
"The challenge is how to bring back the used solvent in scrap batteries for use to make new batteries again," said Mr Siamnat.
"Our company has a technology that can recycle used solvent, offering an option to utilise unwanted EV batteries."
He said solvent recycling should be an essential part of the EV ecosystem, which must be developed in an environmentally friendly way.
Mr Siamnat said producing new solvents involved in processes that can release greenhouse gases in the air intensifies concerns about global warming, which is responsible for more extreme weather events such as disastrous floods and severe droughts.
Thailand is promoting the production of EVs, which means factories will need more solvents for EV and lithium-ion battery manufacturing, he said.
Under the "30@30" policy, the government expects EVs to represent at least 30% of total auto production by 2030, with 725,000 zero-emission cars, 675,000 electric motorcycles and 34,000 electric buses and trucks.
"More EVs mean more discarded batteries in the future," said Mr Siamnat.
"We need proper methods to deal with the scrap."
Electric taxis wait for passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport. Solvents used in EVs' lithium-ion batteries are indirectly involved in carbon dioxide emissions.
RECYCLING
Thailand needs to better promote solvent recycling as used solvents are hazardous waste, while also working to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, he said.
Used solvents from many industries are rarely recycled, raising concerns about waste management.
"Some factories secretly discard used solvents in public places, which is dangerous to human health and the environment," said Mr Siamnat.
Solvents can be disposed of by burning in an incinerator, but this method causes greenhouse gas emissions.
Sun-up Recycling was established in 2017, buying unwanted solvents from factories and offering recycling services to companies that want to use recycled solvents as part of efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
"We use fractional distillation to recycle solvents," he said.
This distillation technique focuses on the separation and purification of solvent mixtures, which refer to used solvents that contain impurities.
The process results in the production of recycled solvents with 99% purity.
The company's recovery rate of used solvents ranges from 80-95%.
The amount of recycled solvents at its factory in Chachoengsao is 8,000 to 9,000 tonnes a year.
Solvent recycling can reduce a significant amount of carbon dioxide. For every one tonne of solvents recycled, only 0.66 tonnes of carbon dioxide is released, compared with 2.92 tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted from the burning of used solvents, according to media reports.
Sun-up Recycling is in talks with the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization to join its Thailand Voluntary Emission Reduction Program, also known as T-VER.
The company wants its greenhouse gas emission management to be certified by the organisation, paving the way to enter the carbon credit trade market, said Mr Siamnat.
Carbon credits refer to the amount of CO2 emissions reduced through environmental projects, including clean energy development and environmentally friendly businesses.
Credits can be sold to other companies to offset the carbon dioxide they release into the atmosphere.
A battery charging station for EVs at Siam Square. Recycling solvents in used lithium-ion batteries can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Pornprom Satrabhaya
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
Solvent recycling, which falls under the country's bio-, circular and green (BCG) economic development scheme, should continue to grow because of its environmental and financial benefits, he said.
BCG, which was declared a national agenda item in 2021, encourages manufacturers to adopt techniques that can add value to their products with minimal impact on the environment.
Not only does solvent recycling have the potential to help Thailand achieve its carbon neutrality target, a balance between carbon dioxide emissions and absorption, by 2050, but it can also help factories save on costs, said Mr Siamnat.
"We help our customers save 30-40% on expenses because they don't need to buy new solvents," he said.
"They get recycled solvents with 99% purity for use, similar to new solvents, at cheaper prices."
The cost savings is expected to draw more customers, especially those facing tough competition in the market, said Mr Siamnat.
Sun-up Recycling expects its revenue to grow more than 10% this year.
The company focuses on customers in the middle and high-end markets, especially in the automotive and electronic industries, he said.
For the long term, Sun-up Recycling wants to expand its business into Vietnam and the Philippines, as the two countries serve as important production bases in Southeast Asia.
An Industry Ministry official collects samples of electronic waste dumped illegally near a reservoir in Rayong's Pluak Daeng district. Used solvents, which are hazardous waste, from electronics and car factories raise a concern over whether they go through proper waste management. Patipat Janthong