SK ecoplant unveils four core waste battery technologies

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SK ecoplant Co., the renewable energy unit of South Korea’s SK Group, has successfully developed four core waste battery technologies, including one that significantly increases the recovery rate of nickel, cobalt, and lithium, the core materials in secondary batteries.

SK ecoplant held a ceremony to announce the development of the technologies at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) on Tuesday. SK ecoplant and KIGAM announced that day that the company hit 97 percent of the recovery rates for nickel and cobalt, rare metals extracted from waste batteries through solvent extraction. The purity of the recovered nickel and cobalt topped 99.9 percent, which is around the level used in battery manufacturing. Nickel and cobalt are key cathode materials for batteries but are mostly imported. SK ecoplant achieved the industry’s highest recovery rate by meeting demanding process requirements for material and temperature control during the extraction process, the company said. The lithium recovery rate was also 90 percent.