Lead has been one of the poorest performers in the metals sector, but analysts are starting to take a fresh look, according to www.institutionalinvestor.com. With a tight supply situation and improving auto sales in the U.S. and China, they say the fundamentals are in place, and bullish price projections are in the offing.

Demand growth from China is linked to automotive, with domestic vehicle sales set to surpass 20 million units. Also driving demand is the telecom and wireless sector.

Meanwhile, however, supply is restricted. Over the years, a number of primary smelters have been shuttered due to environmental regulations. In fact, the last operating primary smelter in the U.S. is scheduled to be closed down before the end of the year. Now, half of the world supply comes from lead recycling, with U.S. recyclers generating over 90 percent of that amount.

High prices have resulted in the reopening of international primary smelters in both Peru and Italy.

Bottom line is that the market is improving, and the challenge for recyclers is meeting this demand through plants that fully address environmental concerns for the battery recycling trade.

Novelis Inc is citing the importance of recycled aluminum in its improved performance. The world's largest provider of rolled aluminum products announced its quarterly results this week, showing a profit versus a loss a year-earlier loss.

Improved global demand helped the uplift, along with better cost management. In particular, the company is utilizing more scrap. It raised recycled material content by four percent across its product mix, to average 43 percent. At year end, it was averaging 45 percent scrap.

Novelis has a target of 80 percent recycled material by 2020. When its new recycling capacity is operational by the end of fiscal 2014, it anticipates utilizing scrap content in the low 50 percent range.

A new report by the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) reviews the environmental and health hazards of the trade in spent lead acid batteries (SLABs) in North America, as reported in Waste Management World.

That report, entitled Hazardous Trade? An Examination of US-generated Spent Lead-acid Battery Exports and Secondary Lead Recycling in Mexico, the United States and Canada, makes specific policy recommendations. Key policy action points include the commitment of Canadian and Mexican governments to establishing similar levels of environmental and health requirements as the U.S., and for the use of manifests for international shipment of spent lead acid batteries (SLABS) from the U.S. Exporters should also obtain a certificate of recovery from the recycling facility.

Over 47 million kg of SLABs were exported to Mexico in 2011 from the U.S. Exports to Mexico have increased over four and a half times in volume between 2004 and 2011.

To read the entire report, click here.

An industry leader in automotive lead acid battery recycling has been recognized for its water recycling efforts.

The company's Florence, S.C. location was honored at the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE) Awards, bringing home the grand prize in Industrial Treatment and the W. Wesley Eckenfelder, Jr. Industrial Waste Management Medal for its integrated storm water and wastewater treatment facility.

CDM Smith designed and built the treatment facility in partnership with Johnson Controls. The result has been community and environmental protection, allowing for water reuse and reduced dependence on the municipal water supply.

Wastewater is treated at the facility, resulting in meeting safe discharge requirements for entry into the city sewer system. The system includes a 2.3 million gallon storm water collection and storage system, which is reused to supply the plant's process water needs. Designed to handle and store water from the greatest storms, the system has already conserved seven million gallons of water since the plant opening in September 2012.