| By Mary Bailey
S K Innovation Co. (Seoul, South Korea) introduced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with KBR, Inc. (Houston) associated to its proprietary Battery Metal Recycling (BMR) know-how.
The MOU, which licenses SK’s BMR know-how, was signed on the Fastmarkets European Battery Raw Materials Conference 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal, from September 16 to 18. This strategic collaboration will allow KBR to combine SK Innovation’s BMR know-how with its PureLi® excessive-purity crystallization know-how, providing a novel resolution to the worldwide market and producing royalty income for SK Innovation. The signing ceremony was attended by Kim Phil-seok, CTO/Executive Director of SK Innovation’s Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, and Gautham Krishnaiah, CTO of KBR.
The BMR know-how developed by SK Innovation is distinctive for its proprietary course of that immediately recovers lithium hydroxide from used batteries, standing out from conventional strategies. Meanwhile, KBR’s PureLi® know-how successfully removes impurities from lithium-containing options and produces battery-grade excessive-purity lithium hydroxide by means of a steady cooling and recrystallization course of.
Since 2017, SK Innovation has been growing its distinctive BRM know-how by combining unique analysis concepts with amassed experience within the refinery and petrochemical sectors, overcoming the constraints of present lithium restoration technologies.
In 2021, SK Innovation constructed a industrial demonstration facility at its Institute for Environmental Science & Technology able to immediately recovering lithium hydroxide from used batteries equal to about 800 electrical autos yearly. This technological prowess has been validated with over 100 patent functions filed domestically and internationally.
At the MOU signing, CTO of SK Innovation, Kim Phil-seok acknowledged, “With SK Innovation’s cutting-edge lithium recovery technology, we can fully meet the EU Battery Regulation’s mandatory recovery rates, and the performance of batteries produced from the recovered lithium has already been verified. We are committed to leading the global market in battery recycling technology with our eco-friendliness and ability to respond to global regulations.”
Gautham Krishnaiah, KBR’s CTO, commented, “SK Innovation’s lithium recovery technology is more cost-effective than traditional wet, dry, and carbon reduction technologies. We aim to secure business viability by creating synergy with KBR’s high-purity crystallization technology and licensing capabilities.”
Furthermore, CTO Kim of SK Innovation delivered a keynote speech on the primary day of the Fastmarkets European Battery Raw Materials Conference 2025, discussing the expansion of the battery market, the significance of important minerals, and SK Innovation’s superior technologies. He highlighted the constraints in useful resource acquisition and environmental laws because of the development of the worldwide electrical car and battery industries, emphasizing that SK Innovation’s BMR know-how may very well be a viable resolution.