Doosan Heavy set up 1,500 tpa pilot plant for extraction of lithium carbonate from waste batteries

The Korean energy and manufacturing company Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction announced the 23rd of May that the company is setting up a 1,500 tpa plant in South Korea for recovery of lithium carbonate from waste lithium-ion batteries using a new patented treatment method.

The new extraction method doesn't require the use of any chemicals. It involves heat treatment of the battery materials, selective separation of lithium using distilled water and the use of electro-absorption crystallization technology to recover the lithium carbonate. The technology, which was developed by Doosan and for which a patent has been filed, has the benefit of being more simple and economical than existing methods and is also environmentally friendly since no chemicals are used.

To demonstrate the technology, and to establish itself in the lithium-ion battery value chain Doosan is building a recycling plant with a capacity of 1,500 tonnes per year and a targeted purity rate of 99%. The construction work will start the second half of 2021.

The company does not say how other materials such as nickel and cobalt will be recovered.

Read more about the technology and plant here.