Imagine a giant urban mine where instead of digging holes in the ground, we use a specialized chemical bath to wash out valuable metals from old batteries. This process acts like a high-tech filter that catches lithium and graphite, which are usually thrown away or hard to get. It turns battery trash back into the exact raw materials needed to build new batteries right here in Europe.
Europe relies heavily on imports for lithium and graphite, creating a strategic supply vulnerability. Meanwhile, large volumes of battery waste are not effectively recycled by traditional methods.
A first-of-a-kind (FOAK) industrial plant that shifts from batch to continuous processing for recovering lithium and graphite from black mass.
If you are a battery producer dealing with high production scrap and import dependencies — this project developed a continuous processing plant that recovers lithium and graphite. This allows you to source secondary raw materials locally and reduce your carbon footprint by up to 80%.
If you are an electric vehicle maker dealing with end-of-life battery waste and strict EU regulations — this project developed a hydrometallurgical process that meets 2027 and 2031 EU Battery Directive recovery rates. It ensures your battery lifecycle is circular and compliant.
If you are a chemical company dealing with the need for sustainable metal salts — this project developed a system to produce over 80 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent per year. This provides a steady, EU-based stream of critical raw materials.
The project is building a first-of-a-kind plant capable of processing approximately 500 tonnes of battery black mass. This is expected to yield over 80 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent and over 100 tonnes of graphite annually.
Based on project data, using recycled materials from this process reduces the carbon footprint by up to 80% compared to using mined materials.
Based on available project data, the company has already validated a pilot-scale process and is now transferring this to an industrial-scale first-of-a-kind plant. Specific licensing terms are not mentioned.
The technology already fulfills the recovery rates for critical raw materials required by the EU Battery Directive for the years 2027 and 2031.
The project runs from December 2024 to November 2030, with the goal of unlocking a large equity financing round in 2026 after proving industrial scale operations.
The project is led by a single German SME, ToZero GmbH. This 100% industry-led structure indicates a high focus on commercialization and rapid deployment rather than academic research, as evidenced by the relocation to the industrial environment of Chemiepark Gendorf.
Contact TOZERO GMBH in Germany regarding their first-of-a-kind (FOAK) plant
Contact us to explore partnership opportunities with ToZero for secondary raw material sourcing.
