BusinessKorea reported that SK On said in its ESG report that in order to reduce carbon emissions and secure material supply, it will invest in the construction of a lithium recycling plant within this year, and it plans to start operations in the United States and Europe in 2025.
JOIN TIP3X ON TELEGRAM
Ternary lithium (NCM) batteries are mainly produced by three Korean battery manufacturers, LG Energy Solutions, Samsung SDI, and SK On. The European environmental group Transport and Environment (T&E) recently investigated carbon emissions from the manufacture of various types of batteries.
T&E calculated an energy density of 250Wh/kg for the NCM battery pack and 400Wh/kg for the all-solid-state battery pack. All-solid-state batteries use 35% more lithium than lithium-ion batteries, but use less graphite and cobalt, so carbon emissions are relatively high.
Today, battery manufacturers are increasing the introduction of environmentally friendly raw materials to reduce carbon emissions. SK Innovation, a battery production subsidiary of SK Group, announced as early as 2019 that the company’s new technology can recover high concentrations of lithium hydroxide from discarded electric vehicle battery anode materials.
SK Innovation says the technology is capable of recycling more than 80 percent of electric vehicle battery components and recycles key materials such as higher-purity nickel, cobalt, and manganese, which account for more than 30 percent of battery costs.
