Johnson invests in battery recycler

Car battery maker Johnson Controls is buying a 5% stake in the lead-acid battery recycling firm Aqua Metals. At a plant in McCarran, Nev., Aqua Metals uses an electrochemical process to recover lead from used batteries. The company says the process saves energy versus the current smelting process. Johnson will license Aqua Metals’ technology, supply it with batteries, and purchase recovered lead ingot.