This just in from the St. Louis Business Journal: “Salt extracted from batteries earns kosher approval.” Details below:
St. Louis-based The Doe Run Co. received kosher approval for its sodium sulfate, a salt commonly used in the manufacturing of starch, which it extracts from the recycling of lead-acid batteries, the company said Tuesday.
“Though none of the sodium sulfate we produce is contained in food, it is used in making an industrial, corn-based starch that goes into papermaking or cardboard production,” Lou Magdits, Doe Run’s director of raw materials, said in a statement.
Doe Run’s sodium sulfate is also used in the manufacturing of other products such as glass, powdered laundry detergent and carpet freshening products.
The Doe Run Company’s Buick Resource Recycling Division (BRRD) adheres to kosher processing procedures for the sodium sulfate process. Kosher is a term used to describe products made in accordance with Jewish law. Suppliers of Kosher-certified products require certifications at all steps in the manufacturing supply chain.
BRRD, located in Boss, Mo., is the world’s largest single-site lead recycling facility, processing more than 13.5 million lead-acid batteries annually. Battery recycling yields about 1,200 tons of sodium sulfate per month.
Based in St. Louis, The Doe Run Company is a privately held natural resources company.
Many of you might be aware that Doe Run has had run ins with environmentalists over the years. According to this article, at least, they’re on the right side of the law (okay, Jewish halakha law).
