The 13th Battery Summit in Tokyo, organized by IRuniverse, was held at Bellesalle Onarimon Tower from March 17 to 18.The “Recycling Session,” held on the afternoon of the second day, featured presentations from companies based in Korea, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland on their respective battery recycling strategies.
This report (Part 1) examines the initiatives of companies from Korea and Germany. Part II will cover the approaches of companies from Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, as well as provide a summary of the panel discussion conducted in the latter half of the session.
1. ABR(Advanced Battery Recycle), Yu Tack, Kim :The World First Commercialized Eco-Friendly Direct Recycling Plant in Korea
The first speaker of the session was Dr. Yu Tack Kim, Chief Executive Officer of ABR (Advanced Battery Recycle), a gold sponsor of the summit. ABR, headquartered in Korea, was established in 2021 with the objective of accelerating the global adoption and large-scale deployment of environmentally sustainable battery recycling technologies.
A “closed-loop system,” in which battery manufacturing and recycling are completed within the same country or region, was presented as a core concept. This approach was positioned as contributing to reduced resource dependency, lower environmental impact, and enhanced supply chain resilience, and as an essential framework for achieving circularity in the battery industry.
The presentation indicated that, with the expansion of the EV market, the recycling of manufacturing scrap and end-of-life batteries is becoming increasingly important. At the same time, it was noted that, despite the expansion of battery production in Europe and the United States, refining and recycling processes remain concentrated in Korea and China. China, in particular, was identified as maintaining a strong competitive advantage in refining and resource recovery, posing challenges for new market entrants.
In response to these structural conditions, a “direct recycling” approach was introduced, in which scrap generated within manufacturing facilities is recycled on-site. The approach covers multiple battery chemistries, including NCM622, NCM811, and LFP, and is applicable to various stages of production, including slurry, post-coating, post-pressing, cells, and black mass.
Development was initiated at a laboratory scale of approximately 1 kg/day. Under conditions excluding LCA evaluation, cost reductions of up to 80% were targeted, and recovery rates of 94–96% from battery scrap were reported. Based on these results, a pilot system with a capacity of approximately 100 kg/day was developed. The pilot demonstrated recovery rates exceeding 100% on an LCA basis and enabled the reproduction of both cathode and anode materials.
Performance evaluations of recycled materials were also presented. In the case of LFP, virgin material exhibited a capacity of 154.4 mAh/g with an efficiency of 93.01%, while recycled material showed a capacity of 150.34 mAh/g and an efficiency of 95.79%, indicating comparable performance.
Technological developments aimed at reducing CO₂ emissions, lowering chemical usage, and improving cost efficiency were also outlined, including water-based separation technologies and hydrometallurgical processes.
In addition, progress in regulatory frameworks was reported, including approval under a regulatory sandbox program from the Ministry of Environment in 2024. Future initiatives were framed as focusing on the establishment of localized supply chains and the development of economically viable and environmentally sustainable recycling systems.
2. SungEel HiTech, Jeong Su Jin :The Guardian of Closed Loop
The second speaker of the session was Ms. SuJin Jeong, Global Sourcing and Partnership Lead at SungEel HiTech, a company headquartered in Korea.
The battery market was positioned as entering a sustained growth phase, driven by expanding demand for EVs and energy storage systems (ESS). At the same time, mining development alone was identified as insufficient to meet future demand for critical minerals.
Battery demand projections for 2030 were presented at 2,427 GWh for EV applications and 551 GWh for energy storage, with further expansion expected through emerging applications such as robotics and drones. In contrast, the contribution of recycled materials during the 2020–2025 period remained limited, accounting for approximately 6% of lithium (LCE), 10% of nickel, and 18% of cobalt supply. This share is projected to increase to 22% in 2025–2030 and further to 33% for lithium (LCE), 26% for nickel, and 8% for cobalt in 2030–2040. Recycling was thereby positioned as a core supply function rather than a supplementary measure.
Recent volatility in battery material prices was also reviewed, highlighting structural risks associated with reliance on primary resources. Price increases between 2021 and 2022 were attributed to factors including increased IT demand, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical tensions, and rapid growth in EV demand. Subsequent declines in 2023–2024 were associated with increased supply and the expansion of LFP batteries. In 2025, cobalt prices rebounded following export restrictions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while nickel and lithium prices exhibited stabilization and partial recovery. These developments were presented as evidence supporting the need for closed-loop systems to stabilize resource procurement.
Policy and regulatory developments were identified as key drivers of regionalization. The European Union’s Battery Regulation (EU 2023/1542) mandates phased increases in recycling efficiency and sets recovery targets for critical materials. The United States continues to support domestic production through tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). China maintains a certification-based system while permitting qualified black mass imports, and India has strengthened measures to secure domestic resources. Competitiveness was thus framed as increasingly dependent on the geographic alignment of collection and recycling processes.
SungEel HiTech’s business model was presented as a vertically integrated system encompassing collection, transportation, pre-processing, and hydrometallurgical refining, supported by traceability systems and metal recovery rates exceeding 97%. In 2025, the company processed approximately 25,000 tons of scrap, corresponding to batteries from approximately 100,000 EVs, achieving a domestic market share of approximately 50% in Korea and about 1% globally. Recovered volumes included 3,700 tons of nickel, 1,100 tons of cobalt, and 3,100 tons of lithium, contributing to an annual reduction of approximately 19,700 tons of CO₂ emissions. Recycled materials were also reported to reduce CO₂ emissions by approximately 78% compared to primary resource-derived materials.
The company has expanded closed-loop facilities across four regions—Korea/Japan, Europe, APAC, and North America—based on a localized circular supply model. Future plans include the establishment of approximately 30 global sites and the development of supply capacity equivalent to high-purity metals for one million EVs by 2035. Recycling was thereby positioned as a strategic infrastructure supporting resource security, decarbonization, and industrial competitiveness.
3. Primobius GmbH, Michel Siemon :Hydrometallurgical battery recycling at industrial scale -What really matters for reliable, high-recovery and future-ready operations-
The third speaker of the session was Mr. Michel Siemon, Chief Executive Officer of Primobius GmbH, a company headquartered in Germany.
Battery recycling was positioned as an increasingly central component of the battery supply chain, in line with the expansion of lithium-ion battery demand. EV battery demand is projected to exceed 3 TWh by 2030, with a corresponding increase in end-of-life (EOL) batteries thereafter. Japan was identified as having limited regional access to critical raw materials, positioning resource recovery from used batteries as a strategic priority.
Battery recycling was characterized as a technically complex process due to the diversity of battery chemistries, including NCA, NCM, LCO, and LFP, as well as variations in composition and form factor. Residual charge levels of up to approximately 30% further necessitate careful handling. These factors require robust safety measures, environmental and health risk management, and compliance with evolving regulatory frameworks. Variability in feedstock and supply chain uncertainty were also identified as key challenges.
Key requirements were defined as flexibility in feedstock handling, stable processing under fluctuating input conditions, precise impurity control, and the achievement of both high recovery rates and battery-grade material quality. Primobius was presented as providing an integrated end-to-end recycling process encompassing discharge and dismantling, shredding and sorting, and hydrometallurgical refining.
In the pre-processing stage, multiple battery formats and chemistries are accommodated without full discharge. Recovery rates of up to 95% were reported for black mass, 60–80% for copper, and 70–80% for aluminum, with overall recovery exceeding 95%. Impurity levels were controlled to below 2%.
In the hydrometallurgical stage, black mass is processed to recover battery-grade metals at recovery rates exceeding 97%. The process incorporates zero-liquid-discharge systems and sodium-free circuits, enabling reduced environmental impact and regulatory compliance.
Operations are supported by the technological capabilities of the SMS group. In Kuppenheim, Germany, an integrated recycling facility has been established in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, implementing a closed-loop system in which recovered materials are returned to battery manufacturing. This approach enables industrial-scale recycling that combines resource circularity with cost competitiveness. Primobius was thereby positioned as a provider of high-quality and sustainable battery recycling solutions.
The 13th Tokyo Battery Summit: Recycling Session (Part 2) — Saudi Arabian and Swiss Companies, and Panel Discussion
(IRuniverse, Midori Fushimi)
