LG Energy Solution accelerates push for battery recycling

LG Energy Solution's Ochang plant in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province / Courtesy of LG Energy Solution

LG Energy Solution (LGES) is ramping up efforts to expand its battery recycling as part of a broader strategy to build a virtuous cycle from battery production and reuse to disposal, the company said Tuesday.

The initiative aims to build a circular ecosystem covering the entire battery lifecycle, from raw material sourcing to production, use and disposal. The company also expects battery recycling to help create new business opportunities.

In June last year, LGES joined hands with Toyota Tsusho to establish GMBI, a recycling joint venture in North Carolina. The facility will have an annual processing capacity of 13,500 tons, which is enough to handle used batteries from more than 40,000 electric vehicles (EVs) each year.

The new venture will operate a pre-processing plant that dismantles and crushes end-of-life batteries and produces black mass, a powdery byproduct generated by recycling lithium-ion batteries.

Researchers at LG Energy Solution shows positive electrode active materials sourced from recycled batteries in this undated handout photo. Courtesy of LG Energy Solution

The black mass will then undergo post-processing to extract key minerals, such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, which can be reused in battery production.

In April last year, LGES also unveiled a separate joint venture with Derichebourg, France’s leading metal recycling firm, to build a battery recycling plant in the Val-d’Oise region with an annual capacity of 20,000 tons.

LGES seeks to proactively respond to the European Union's tightening environmental regulations by expanding its recycling operations in France, one of Europe’s largest EV markets.

The company has installed and operates a reuse-based energy storage system (ESS) at its Ochang factory in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. The system was built with batteries retrieved from electric taxis that logged more than 100,000 kilometers. When paired with a 100-kilowatt charger, the ESS can fully charge a Chevrolet Bolt EV in about one hour, enabling the vehicle to travel up to 300 kilometers.

Beyond Korea, the LG affiliate is also pursuing additional reuse ESS projects in North America by developing systems for uninterruptible power supply and backup power applications.

Meanwhile, LGES is working toward achieving zero waste to landfill at all of its global sites. The firm’s Nanjing plant in China received the highest “Platinum” certification from Underwriters Laboratories for achieving a 100 percent resource circulation rate.

Its Ochang Energy Plant 1 earned a “Gold” rating for surpassing a 90 percent recycling rate. Its U.S. facilities have also obtained landfill zero certification from the National Sanitation Foundation, confirming that landfill waste accounts for less than 1 percent of total waste.

“By establishing a virtuous cycle for battery resources, we will take the lead in realizing a sustainable future and delivering greater value to our customers,” an official from the company said. (Advertorial)