Lithium-ion battery recycling: tozero sets up commercial demonstration facility in Gendorf
Tozero, a DeepTech startup based in Munich, is making significant strides in the realm of sustainable energy with the establishment of a commercial demonstration plant for lithium-ion battery recycling at the GENDORF Chemical Park. This plant, scheduled to commence operations as a commercial demonstration facility in 2025, serves as a technological foundation, with full commercial operations expected to begin in 2026.
The plant's key features include a chemical recycling process that recovers high-purity lithium and graphite from black mass, a processed form of battery material. This approach, unlike conventional recycling processes, enables the recovery and reuse of significantly more critical raw materials. By focusing on black mass instead of whole batteries, Tozero aims to promote efficient and sustainable recovery of valuable raw materials.
Tozeros' innovative process enables the recovery of over 80% of lithium contained in used batteries, exceeding the EU’s 2031 targets for lithium recycling. The full recovery of graphite is another significant advantage, as it can be reintegrated into local battery supply chains, promoting sustainability and circular economy in battery production.
To manage the mechanical disassembly of batteries, Tozero has outsourced this task to specialist partners. This decision reduces safety risks, lowers logistics costs, and increases the flexibility and scalability of the recycling process.
The investment in the Gendorf facility is a mid-single-digit million-euro amount, co-financed by the European Union via the EIC Accelerator Program. The GENDORF Chemical Park, operated by InfraServ Gendorf, offers ideal conditions for companies aiming to scale, with its infrastructure and tailored industrial services for the chemical and process industries.
Tozeros' establishment at the GENDORF Chemical Park reinforces its position as a pioneering location for young, fast-growing companies from future-focused industries. The park has previously attracted another startup, PRUVIA, which announced the construction of a commercial plant for chemical plastic recycling in February 2025.
Since its founding in 2022, Tozero has made rapid technological progress in recycling materials from lithium-ion batteries. Currently, the company employs around 30 people from ten nations at its Munich site. Tozero has already delivered the first batches of recycled, high-purity lithium to European customers, marking a significant step towards a more sustainable and circular battery economy.
As the commercial demonstration plant in Gendorf marks an important milestone and interim step in scaling Tozeros' technology, the company is poised to make a significant impact on Europe's battery material recycling goals with its advanced chemical extraction of critical materials.
- The innovative technology developed by Tozero in the field of environmental science, specifically lithium-ion battery recycling, is expected to attract investment from the finance sector, as it promises to exceed EU's 2031 targets for lithium recycling and contribute significantly to a more sustainable and circular battery economy.
- With the establishment of the commercial demonstration plant for lithium-ion battery recycling in the GENDORF Chemical Park, Tozero is not only leveraging technology to address the environmental challenges of battery waste but also fostering a symbiotic relationship with the industry, as the recovered graphite can be reintegrated into local battery supply chains, promoting sustainability and circular economy in technology production.
