Doosan Recycle Solutions Engages in Global Partnership to Expand Supplier Base for Battery Recycling Materials

Doosan Recycle Solutions, the battery recycling subsidiary that was established by Doosan Enerbility last year, is taking steps to expand its supplier base for battery recycling materials. On March 29th, Doosan Recycle Solutions announced that it had signed a Framework Agreement for the Battery Recycling Business with the Chinese company CNGR Advanced Material Co. Ltd.,  the global No. 1 supplier of precursor materials.*  In attendance at the signing ceremony that was held on March 28th (local time) in Frankfurt, Germany were the related parties, including Jaehyuk Choi, CEO of Doosan Recycle Solutions, and Jun Hyup Baek, Executive Director of CNGR Advanced Material Co., Ltd.* Precursor: an essential ingredient of cathode, which is one of the key materials used in secondary batteries. The main precursor materials include NCM (Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese), NCA (Nickel, Cobalt, Aluminum) and NCMA (Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese, Aluminum). Under this agreement, CNGR will be supplying scrap powder generated from secondary batteries, which is mostly comprised of lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese, to Doosan Recycle Solutions, while Doosan Recycle Solutions will be supplying back to CNGR the NCM materials that are left after extracting lithium from the scrap powder. Doosan Recycle Solutions’ lithium extraction technology involves applying the heat treatment process to scrap powder generated from secondary batteries and using pure water to separate the lithium, after which crystallization technology is applied to extract the lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide. This technology, being a simpler process than that of conventional technologies, has the advantage of being more economical compared to existing technologies and is also an eco-friendly chemical-free method that offers the benefits of high lithium purity (99.5% or higher) and high lithium recovery rate (85% or higher). ”As Doosan’s technology offers not only a high lithium recovery rate, but also low impurity content in the remaining NCM after lithium extraction, the technology will prove to be advantageous for CNGR as well,” said Doosan Recycle Solutions CEO Jaehyuk Choi. “With the signing of this framework agreement, the two companies will be able to leverage its respective technologies to fulfill each other’s needs and we also expect to see the strengthening of business competitiveness.” Doosan Recycle Solutions plans to build a commercial manufacturing facility within the Daegu National Industrial Complex by next year and embark on lithium recovery by processing approximately 3,000 tons of materials per year starting in 2026.