A lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery recycling technology developed by Korean researchers is entering the commercialization stage.
The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) said Tuesday it signed a technology licensing agreement to transfer its "recycling method and apparatus for polyanionic lithium secondary battery cathode materials" to GreenCore E&C, a company specializing in industrial precision filtration systems.
The deal includes a lump-sum technology fee of 150 million won and a running royalty of 2% of sales, along with one related patent.
The technology enables selective extraction and recovery of lithium from defective materials, residues generated during LFP battery manufacturing, and end-of-life cathode materials.
Conventional lithium recovery methods rely on wet leaching or high-temperature heat treatment, which involve complex processing steps and difficulty removing impurities. KAERI's technology uses a chlorination reaction to selectively extract lithium, enhancing both economic viability and environmental sustainability.
The process reacts cathode materials from spent LFP batteries with chlorine gas at low temperatures, converting lithium into a soluble aqueous solution. Through a solid-liquid separation process, the extracted lithium is then converted into lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide for final recovery.
This achieves a lithium conversion rate of more than 95% from LFP spent battery cathode materials, with lithium purity exceeding 97% in the extracted solution, enabling high-efficiency, high-purity lithium recovery.
The transition metal components remaining after lithium separation can also be recycled as raw materials for new batteries. Byproducts generated from the process take the form of saltwater (NaCl) rather than acidic wastewater, making the process highly eco-friendly.
The technology was developed by research teams led by Dr. Kim Sung-wook of KAERI's Nuclear Facility Clean Technology Development Division and Dr. Kim Hyung-sub of the Neutron Science Division, with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT's university-institute cooperation platform pilot program.
GreenCore E&C, the technology licensee, possesses capabilities in solid-liquid separation — a key element of LFP lithium extraction — raising expectations for successful commercialization and contributions to building a domestic battery resource circulation ecosystem.
"This technology is essential for responding to the recent expansion of LFP battery investment and changes in resource circulation policy," KAERI Vice President Lim In-cheol said. "The commercialization of LFP battery recycling technology will contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of Korea's battery industry."