TES-AMM, a waste electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling subsidiary of SK ecoplant Co. under South Korea’s SK Group, has handled over 6,000 tons of lithium batteries from mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops, the company said on Monday.

The quantity is equivalent to about 120 million units given that a battery in mobile devices weighs about 50 grams.

The recovery rate of raw materials such as lithium and cobalt extracted from waste batteries was about 92 percent and the purity of the recovered rare metals reached about 99 percent, according to the company.

TES has been recognized for its technology and innovation by winning awards for waste battery recycling at international awards ceremonies, including the 2020 Reuters Events’ Responsible Business Awards in the U.K., the 2020 Edison Awards in the United States, and the 2023 SEAL Sustainable Business Awards in the United States.

“In addition to processing small batteries, TES continues to internalize its capabilities in recycling electric vehicle waste batteries,” said an SK ecoplant official. “TES will stand out in the global electric vehicle waste battery market, which is expected to reach 600 trillion won ($443 billion) in 2050.”

Currently, TES operates waste battery recycling facilities in Singapore, Shanghai in China, and Grenoble in France, with additional facilities in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and Yancheng in China nearing completion.

TES has also secured logistics and distribution capabilities to recycle electronic and electrical waste in 23 countries and holds more than 30 Basel permits, which are required to send waste batteries to recycling facilities in other countries.

“Our ultimate goal is to realize a circular economy by achieving a complete circulation system where rare metals recovered from waste batteries are re-injected into battery manufacturing,” said Park Kyung-il, chief executive officer at SK ecoplant.

By Pulse

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