[Future from Urban Mining]⑥Game Changer: 'Electric Vehicle Waste Batteries'... Industry Betting on Recycling

Nickel, Lithium, and Other Key Minerals Can Be Extracted from Waste Batteries
Recycling Grows in Economic Value

Used electric vehicle batteries are emerging as a next-generation resource for urban mining. Even when battery capacity decreases, the physical amount of core minerals such as nickel, lithium, and cobalt inside the battery remains unchanged. If the total mineral mass—amounting to 4,000 to 6,000 times that of a smartphone battery—is recovered and reused as raw materials, it is expected to ensure supply chain stability and cost competitiveness, as well as proactively respond to increasingly stringent environmental regulations. As prices of minerals such as copper and silver soar, the economic value of battery recycling is also rising.

According to the industry on May 29, the three major Korean battery companies—Samsung SDI, LG Energy Solution, and SK On—are each establishing battery recycling systems with different approaches, ranging from technology development to securing overseas bases and achieving process circularity.

Samsung SDI is focusing on internalizing technology. Around 20 master's and doctoral researchers specializing in materials and chemistry at its Recycling Research Lab, which opened in 2022, are dedicated to improving recovery rates and developing eco-friendly material technologies. The company is also accelerating the acquisition of new recycling technologies through joint research with partner companies and universities. A Samsung SDI official said, "In order to comply with the battery passport system, we are reviewing data collection and management systems for product carbon footprint, the ratio of recycled materials, and supply chain traceability."

LG Energy Solution has chosen to directly target the European market, where regulations are tightening the fastest. In France, the largest electric vehicle market in Europe, the company is pursuing the establishment of a joint venture with local recycling firm Derichebourg (DBG) to process 20,000 tons annually. The joint venture is scheduled to begin operations in 2028, with key minerals such as nickel and lithium extracted at the facility being fed back into the cell manufacturing process.

SK On is focusing not only on used batteries but also on circulating hazardous materials generated during battery manufacturing. The core of this process is the recovery and refinement of NMP (N-methylpyrrolidone) solvent, which is then reintroduced into the production line. SK On is discussing strategies to expand the integrated circular structure by linking the value chain experience accumulated in this process to battery recycling. An SK On official stated, "We plan to connect the value chain established through NMP recycling to battery recycling going forward."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.