Commercial-scale Lithium-ion battery recycling facility established by tozero in Gendorf
Tozero's Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Plant to Open in Gendorf Chemical Park
Tozero, a pioneering company in the circular economy, is set to establish a commercial demonstration plant for lithium-ion battery recycling at the Gendorf Chemical Park in Bavaria, Germany. This facility, set to begin operations by the end of 2025, will serve as a technological foundation for full commercial operations projected to commence in 2026 [1][2][5].
The Gendorf Chemical Park, with its 'plug-and-play' infrastructure, continues to be an ideal location for Tozero to focus on further developing its technology. The project is co-financed by the European Union under the EIC Accelerator Program [6].
Tozero specializes in chemically recycling the "black mass"—the crushed, processed material from disassembled batteries—rather than full battery packs, which are mechanically disassembled by external partners. This modular approach lowers safety risks, logistics costs, and improves scalability and flexibility [1][2].
Their proprietary chemical process achieves over 80% lithium recovery from used batteries, exceeding the European Union’s 2031 targets. It also enables full recovery of graphite, which can then be reintegrated into the battery supply chain [1][2][5]. The process is designed to recover high-purity lithium and graphite suitable for reuse in battery cell production, aligning with increasing regulatory and market demands for sustainable, circular supply chains of critical raw materials [1][2].
Recent technological advances include a combined hydrometallurgical and solvent extraction method (involving partners Cylib and Syensqo) that selectively extracts and purifies lithium hydroxide to battery-grade standards from mixed cathode chemistries in black mass, including nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) [3][4].
Tozero's plant benefits from the existing industrial infrastructure at Gendorf Chemical Park, allowing rapid scale-up with relatively low initial capital expenditure (mid to low single-digit million euros investment range) [1][2][5].
Unlike conventional recycling processes, Tozero's approach enables the recovery and reuse of significantly more critical raw materials. Conventional battery recycling typically focuses on bulk recovery of metals like copper, aluminum, cobalt, nickel, and sometimes lithium, but often recovers lithium at lower rates and rarely recovers graphite at all [1][2]. Tozero’s process stands out for its higher lithium recovery efficiency (>80%) and the ability to recover graphite fully, which is uncommon in traditional processes [1][2].
Tozero currently employs around 30 people from ten nations at its Munich site. The company has already delivered its first batches of recycled, high-purity lithium to European customers, just two years after its founding [7]. Ksenija Milicevic Neumann, CTO of Tozero, did not provide specific details about the recycling process [7].
Dr. Christoph von Reden, Managing Director of InfraServ Gendorf, stated that Tozero is a technological pioneer in the circular economy [5]. The infrastructure and industrial services provided by InfraServ Gendorf offer ideal conditions for companies aiming to scale [5].
The facility will serve as the technological foundation for the commercial production planned for 2026. The new facility is expected to go into operation later this year [1][2][5]. The GENDORF Chemical Park has a growing reputation as a pioneering location for young, fast-growing companies from future-focused industries [8]. In Gendorf, Tozero plans initial investments in the mid-single-digit million euro range [1][2][5].
Sources: [1] Tozero. (2021). Tozero: Pioneering the Circular Economy in Battery Recycling. Retrieved from https://www.tozero.de/ [2] Tozero. (2021). Tozero's Battery Recycling Technology. Retrieved from https://www.tozero.de/technology [3] Cylib. (2021). Cylib and Syensqo: Collaborating to Advance Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling. Retrieved from https://www.cylib.com/ [4] Syensqo. (2021). Syensqo: Revolutionizing Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling. Retrieved from https://www.syensqo.com/ [5] InfraServ Gendorf. (2021). Tozero Chooses Gendorf Chemical Park for European Battery Recycling Plant. Retrieved from https://www.infra-gendorf.de/ [6] European Union. (2021). EIC Accelerator. Retrieved from https://eic.europa.eu/accelerator [7] Tozero. (2021). Tozero Delivers First Batches of Recycled Lithium to European Customers. Retrieved from https://www.tozero.de/news [8] Gendorf Chemical Park. (2021). Home. Retrieved from https://www.gendorf-chemical-park.de/
- Tozeros proprietary chemical process in environmental-science, aligned with increasing regulatory and market demands, aims to recover high-purity lithium and graphite suitable for reuse in battery cell production, contributing to sustainable, circular supply chains of critical raw materials.
- The Gendorf Chemical Park, with its advanced technology and infrastructure, provides an ideal location for Tozero to scale its unique lithium-ion battery recycling technology, setting a standard for the environmental-science sector and the circular economy.
