SK Innovation Targets Global Market with Proprietary Battery Recycling Technology

Commercialization MOU for Lithium Hydroxide Recovery Technology

SK Innovation is making a full-fledged entry into the global battery recycling market by licensing its proprietary waste battery recycling technology, known as BMR (Battery Metal Recycle). Based on the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for potential collaboration with an American company, SK Innovation plans to secure differentiated competitiveness in the rapidly growing global battery recycling market.

Kim Pilseok, Head of Environmental Science and Technology at SK Innovation (right), and Gautham Krishnaiah, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of KBR, are signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the commercialization of lithium hydroxide recovery technology at the Fast Market Conference. SK Innovation

On September 16 (local time), at the Fastmarkets Conference-the world’s largest lithium and battery raw materials conference held in Portugal-SK Innovation signed an MOU for BMR licensing with KBR, an American company that provides engineering solutions across various sectors including petrochemicals, defense, industry, and infrastructure.

Through this agreement, KBR will combine SK Innovation’s BMR technology with its own high-purity crystallization technology to market the solution globally, while SK Innovation will generate royalty income as a result. The signing ceremony was attended by Kim Pilseok, Head of Environmental Science and Technology at SK Innovation, Gautham Krishnaiah, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of KBR, and other key representatives from both companies.

SK Innovation’s BMR technology features a proprietary process that recovers lithium first, enabling the direct extraction of lithium hydroxide from waste batteries, which clearly differentiates it from conventional methods. The high-purity crystallization technology is an advanced refining process that effectively removes impurities from lithium-containing solutions and produces battery-grade high-purity lithium hydroxide through continuous cooling and recrystallization. SK Innovation began developing BMR in 2017 and, in 2021, established a commercial demonstration facility at its Environmental Science and Technology Institute capable of directly recovering lithium hydroxide from waste batteries equivalent to about 800 electric vehicles per year.

KBR is a global company with approximately 34,000 employees, a worldwide network spanning over 80 countries, and annual sales of about 7 billion dollars (approximately 9.66 trillion won), providing advanced technologies and engineering solutions in energy, petrochemicals, defense, industry, and infrastructure sectors.

At the MOU signing ceremony, Kim Pilseok stated, “With SK Innovation’s innovative lithium recovery technology, we can fully meet the mandatory recovery rates required by the European Union (EU) Battery Regulation, and the performance of batteries produced with the recovered lithium has already been validated.” He added, “Based on our eco-friendliness and ability to respond to global regulations, we will continue to lead battery recycling technology in the global market.”